Posted March 18, 2022 / Caroline Mundee
Maude's husband, all liquored up and heart set on winning some money at poker, probably saved the woman from a thrashing by telling her to get out. Because Caroline was very close to walking right up to Maude and throwing a few punches, maybe some kicks too.
At that, Maude turned heel and stomped out through the saloon's half-doors, leaving them swinging in-time before they quieted.
"Good riddance!" Caroline sent her off with a sneer.
"Ready for another hand?" Frank asked Horace.
"Sure am, Mr. Fortner, sure am." answered the sod buster.
"Would you please be an angel, Caroline, and get our guest another drink? And after that, may I please see you for a minute?" Her boss pointed to the door that led to the kitchen. To Horace, now puffed up with masculine pride, he said, "Take a breather, champ. I'll be right back. This is just business."
Caroline nodded, "Sure, boss." She sauntered on over to the bar where Ralph had already poured her the glassful.
She returned and set the drink down next to Horace at the card table, "Here ya are, darlin'."
Then she followed Fortner into the kitchen, unsure of exactly what this was all about? No sooner were they in the kitchen when Arabella spoke up.
"Oh! Do you two want to 'be alone'?!" she asked, and gave Cara a questioning, and somewhat impish, look.
Caroline shrugged, "I have no idea."
She faced Fortner then, "Is somethin' wrong, boss?"
Posted March 20, 2022 / Franklin Fortner
Then she followed Fortner into the kitchen, unsure of exactly what this was all about? No sooner were they in the kitchen when Arabella spoke up.
"Oh! Do you two want to 'be alone'?!" she asked, and gave Cara a questioning, and somewhat impish, look.
Caroline shrugged, "I have no idea."
She faced Fortner then, "Is somethin' wrong, boss?"
"Hey, Arabella. Yes. Just a little time alone. Miss Caroline and I are about to talk a bit of business. Okay? Oh! Tell you what. Why don't you go inside and play something on the piano for us and our guests?"
When he has Caroline along, Frank became all business.
"There is something big that's coming our way. Can I trust you to help us with something?"
Loyalty was something that was absolutely necessary to be applied if any of the big plans were to come true. He had a feeling he could trust Caroline --- but needed her assurance.
Posted March 21, 2022 / Caroline Mundee
"Hey, Arabella. Yes. Just a little time alone. Miss Caroline and I are about to talk a bit of business. Okay? Oh! Tell you what. Why don't you go inside and play something on the piano for us and our guests?" Fortner decided that question, wanting some time in private with the saloon girl.
The two waited til Ara had cleared the room and was on her to perform. Caroline then faced him right up close.
"Well? What is up then?" Caroline wondered what all the drama and secrecy was all about.
"There is something big that's coming our way. Can I trust you to help us with something?" Fortner answered but without really answering...as in specifics.
"Umm, big huh? I mean yer the boss, I just work here. What you do is your business. I ain't stupid, I know that drunk fool out there is about to lose some money in the poker game. That's his own damn fault for agreein'."
"But how can I answer that question of yers when I don't even know what that 'somethin' is, hon," Caroline pointed out.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted March 21, 2022 / Arabella Mudd
"Uuuuugh!" Arabella sighed VERY loudly indeed and did an exaggeratedly exhausted stagger out of the room to show how very put upon she was. She wandered into the saloon, where the poker match was on some kind of hiatus. No glasses to clean up, she traipsed to the piano and plonked down. Bored, she stated, instead of playing a jaunty tune like she was meant to made a plink plonk plink plonk beat on the keys in a minor key. Then she started a Southern moan:
🎵 Jack of Diamonds, Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades
Jack of Diamonds, Ace of Spades
Bound to lose, bound to lose
Jack of Diamonds, bound to lose
Here comes Susie, hair piled high
hair piled high
Here comes Suuuuusie, hair piled high
Bound to lose, bound to lose
Jack of Diamonds, bound to lose 🎵
When she was bored of that, she wandered over to the planned table of the 'big game' and slumped down opposite the intended gull. "How 'bout a game of Old Maid Mr Potee? Say, did Mrs Potee go home? We had a nice talk in the kitchen. Or snap, I'm good at that, let's play snap!."
Posted March 22, 2022 / Horace Potee
When she was bored of that, she wandered over to the planned table of the 'big game' and slumped down opposite the intended gull. "How 'bout a game of Old Maid Mr Potee? Say, did Mrs Potee go home? We had a nice talk in the kitchen. Or snap, I'm good at that, let's play snap!."
Potee looked at the young lady through the lens of an emptied glass.
He was of two minds. On the one hand he was flush with liquor and gambling victories. And now, he was just waiting for a chance to expand on his good fortune. Then, on the other hand, his wife and he had harsh words for each other. It could be beyond repair. So, as his heart soared with elation, there was a painful drag on it as well.
He brought the glass down on the table with a bang.
"So were you fillin' my Maude's head full of high-flyin' ideas? Is that why she disobeyed her husband in front of his friends? Did you egg her on?"
Posted March 22, 2022 / Franklin Fortner
"There is something big that's coming our way. Can I trust you to help us with something?" Fortner answered but without really answering...as in specifics.
"Umm, big huh? I mean yer the boss, I just work here. What you do is your business. I ain't stupid, I know that drunk fool out there is about to lose some money in the poker game. That's his own damn fault for agreein'."
"But how can I answer that question of yers when I don't even know what that 'somethin' is, hon," Caroline pointed out.
Fortner planted his hand on the wall that Caroline stood against, closing in for a serious conversation.
"I admire you, Caroline. In my eyes you could be the "Montana Queen." He meant it, too. "There's big stuff in the works and we could use your help to push things along. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't very important. So .." He drew a breath and began. "There will come a point in the card game when I'll suggest we all have some coffee. From what I know, the Star Dust brews good coffee. Now, I can guarantee you that Potee will go for that in a big way. So .. and listen close .. when you're serving us the coffee, I need you to fumble the cup intended for Potee and spill it in his lap. Now .. is that something you can do for me? You will find it well worth your while. If not .. just say so, and I won't hold it against you."
He brought his arm down to his waist and shrugged as he waited for her to answer.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted March 23, 2022 / Arabella Mudd
He brought the glass down on the table with a bang.
Arabella gave a jump and a dramatic little scream. "Oh, you scared me!" she said, stating the obvious.
"So were you fillin' my Maude's head full of high-flyin' ideas? Is that why she disobeyed her husband in front of his friends?"
"Huh?" queried the girl, looking at the people around him. Friends?! With friends like these, who needed enemies?
"Did you egg her on?"
Arabella sat calmly removing three of the queens from the deck, so they could play Old Maid and absently shoved them in her apron pocket. "I wasn't egg-noggin nobody on. Matter of fact, I was tellin' your good lady missus that 'a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do' and she's gotta let you sow your wild oats. And do you know what this one feller told me once: he said 'Pins and needles, needles and pins... er..." she had shuffled the deck now and was dealing them out between them both "... er, half the funs in doin' them sins!"
"All right, throw down your pairs!" she grinned. Then the talk of sins got to her. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a dirty looking red cent and placed it coyly on the table.
"You wanna make it... more interestin', Mr. Potee!?"
Posted March 24, 2022 / Horace Potee
"Did you egg her on?"
Arabella sat calmly removing three of the queens from the deck, so they could play Old Maid and absently shoved them in her apron pocket. "I wasn't egg-noggin nobody on. Matter of fact, I was tellin' your good lady missus that 'a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do' and she's gotta let you sow your wild oats. And do you know what this one feller told me once: he said 'Pins and needles, needles and pins... er..." she had shuffled the deck now and was dealing them out between them both "... er, half the funs in doin' them sins!"
"Oh you did, huh?" the drunken homesteader burped out. But then he thought, What the Hell? Why not handle some cards while he passed the time waiting for Fortner and Caroline, his new friends, to return.
He picked up his cards and stared at them while the pips danced in his eyes. Boy! Those drinks were potent.
"All right, throw down your pairs!" she grinned. Then the talk of sins got to her. She reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a dirty looking red cent and placed it coyly on the table.
"You wanna make it... more interestin', Mr. Potee!?"
"I'm in," he gruffly answered after fishing around in his pocket and removing a penny. "I had to work hard for this, Missy!" he said grandly before setting it near hers.
Answering the call, he laid down a four-of-diamonds and a four-of-clubs.
"Beat that!" he said.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Posted March 24, 2022 / Arabella Mudd
"You wanna make it... more interestin', Mr. Potee!?"
"I'm in," he gruffly answered after fishing around in his pocket and removing a penny. "I had to work hard for this, Missy!" he said grandly before setting it near hers.
"Me too, I had to reach right under a table to pick up that red cent o' mine!" she countered. "And it's a lucky one, it's got a picture of a Injun on the front."
Answering the call, he laid down a four-of-diamonds and a four-of-clubs.
"Beat that!" he said.
Arabella gave him a frown "What're jawin about Mr. P., you gotta thown down all your pairs in Old Maid, don't you know that? Are you all right? You're lookin' mighty squirrel. What you been drinking?" He did look woozy.
"Listen, I don't want folks thinkin' I slipped you a mickey so I could cheat you out of house 'n' home, I'm a good Methodist girl, Mr Potee, I'm a child of the Connexion." she said earnestly. "Oh, two fives!" she was now all out of pairs and had a dirty great big Queen of Spades in her hand."
Posted March 25, 2022 / Caroline Mundee
The man moved in very close to her but Caroline stood her ground, she'd had many a man do this very same thing. Hell, it went with the territory, she had long been used to it.
"I admire you, Caroline. In my eyes you could be the "Montana Queen."
"That's nice ta hear, hon," she flashed her best smile.
"There's big stuff in the works and we could use your help to push things along. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't very important. So .."
"So?" the longer he delayed getting to the heart of this little matter, the more suspicious Caroline got.
He drew a breath and began. "There will come a point in the card game when I'll suggest we all have some coffee. From what I know, the Star Dust brews good coffee. Now, I can guarantee you that Potee will go for that in a big way. So .. and listen close .. when you're serving us the coffee, I need you to fumble the cup intended for Potee and spill it in his lap. Now .. is that something you can do for me? You will find it well worth your while. If not .. just say so, and I won't hold it against you."
Caroline blinked, it was apparent she was mulling it over in her head as she paused.
"Spill hot coffee inta his lap? You realize that could be really painful as in burn him in his manly place?" she started.
"I don't get it, boss. Why we gotta do that? We already got 'im drunk as a lord. Any halfway decent card sharp should be able to outplay him and take his every fuckin' penny. Why do we gotta hurt him?"