He hurried to open the door for her which brought another smile to her face, "Such a gentleman, colonel."
"Well, Miss Devereau, I would like to thank you for the invitation and the visit. Both are very welcome surprises and a lovely change of pace in our typical days here."
"You're quite welcome, I'm delighted you find the upcoming event to your liking. Glad I could be that change of pace," she replied.
"Til the dance then. I bet you will cut quite the dashing figure in your full dress uniform, colonel. Good day!"
MacKenzie shrugged a bit and nodded. "I hope enough for you, Madame..." He then watched her walk out of his office and then out of the building. His reverie continued for a few more moments before he blinked. His eyes widened a bit before he looked at his aide at the desk in the outer office. "Lieutenant! Officers Call in twenty minutes...!" The colonel then took a few steps back toward his desk before stopping and making a half turn back toward the door. "Who handles laundry here on the post?" MacKenzie realized his dress uniform had been packed into his trunk for...well, probably years...he would need to get it cleaned up so he was presentable for this dance...same for any of the other officers and NCO's who would be coming with him.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
MacKenzie shrugged a bit and nodded. "I hope enough for you, Madame..." He then watched her walk out of his office and then out of the building. His reverie continued for a few more moments before he blinked. His eyes widened a bit before he looked at his aide at the desk in the outer office. "Lieutenant! Officers Call in twenty minutes...!"
The sound of Lieutenant Greene fairly jumping to his feet could heard. “Yes Sir, Colonel Sir! Officer’s call in twenty minutes, Sir!” The darn fool of a tenderfoot was probably saluting out there right now, even though he was out of sight.
MacKenzie winced at all the bracing and crashing to attention going on in the outer office. He spun and strode back out of his office and over to his aide's desk. "Lieutenant, You seem like a...Good God, at ease, man, at ease..." MacKenzie watched as the young officer managed to unlock to Parade Rest at least. MacKenzie shook his head and took a breath.
"You seem like a good officer and your performance has been good so far, but you need to learn to relax before you have an apoplexy before you are 25..." The colonel waved a hand in front of the man's face as he kept staring at the wall. "Greene!...Relax!...take that ramrod out of your behind and store it with your rifle."
The colonel then took a few steps back toward his desk before stopping and making a half turn back toward the door. "Who handles laundry here on the post?" MacKenzie realized his dress uniform had been packed into his trunk for...well, probably years...he would need to get it cleaned up so he was presentable for this dance...same for any of the other officers and NCO's who would be coming with him.
Greene’s angelic head appeared around the door “Fat Fanny Sir!" he yelped "Er, begging your pardon Sir, er, that’s what the men call Miss Flusher, Sir, the Sutler’s daughter. She’s been washing their shirts for a while now, Sir.” There was no real need to elucidate, she was the only Fanny on the post, and the innocent Greene was probably the only feller in the U.S. Army who didn’t know that “washing a soldier’s shirt” was a euphemism for something a lot less sanitary than it sounded.
MacKenzie sighed and started to explain to the lieutenant, but then decided that for the sake of his own education he should learn about that detail on his own.
"Permission to ask a question, Sir?" he then stammered, a little red-faced "But who was that beautiful lady I just showed out?" Gosh, she had been pretty!
MacKenzie heard the lieutenant's question and hesitated a moment, then having decided to have a bit of fun he walked back out to lean on the edge of the young officer's desk.
"That, Lieutenant, was Matilda Devereau...proprietor of the Stardust Saloon in town. She was here to extend an invitation to a select group of men from the fort as a way of welcoming us to the area..." He enjoyed the way the young officer's face brightened at his answer. "And no, she is not married, Lieutenant. It turns out she shot and killed her husband..." MacKenzie nodded sagely at the suddenly wide eyes he saw. "...Oh yes, out here in the West, it's not uncommon for a woman to shoot her spouse or significant other if they do or say something they find offensive. It's perfectly legal and a much more efficient way for men and women to get along out here on the frontier..." MacKenzie straightened and started back to his office but paused at the doorway. "You should probably keep that in mind when you are at the dance..." MacKenzie raised a finger like a pistol and his thumb dropped as it was pointed at Greene before the colonel continued on into his office. "...don't forget Officer's Call!"
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"Lieutenant, You seem like a...Good God, at ease, man, at ease..." MacKenzie watched as the young officer managed to unlock to Parade Rest at least. MacKenzie shook his head and took a breath.
“Yes sir, sorry Sir.” Gulped the rookie officer.
"You seem like a good officer and your performance has been good so far, but you need to learn to relax before you have an apoplexy before you are 25..." The colonel waved a hand in front of the man's face as he kept staring at the wall. "Greene!...Relax!...take that ramrod out of your behind and store it with your rifle."
Jonah blinked and looked at the Colonel in the face for the first time. “Sorry Sir, it’s just … that’s how they drilled us at West Point, it’s kinda … hard to un-learn it!”
As good as his word, when he heard the Colonel wondering out loud about the source of his clean and pressed shirts, he dived over to the door and unconventionally offered the information. He hoped that this maneuver was ‘relaxed’ enough for the Fort’s commander. Then he even went one further. He was really on a roll with the whole relaxed thing: he asked MacKenzie about the wonderful Angel who had just descended from Heaven to visit them in their humble, wooden, oversized toy fort.
"That, Lieutenant, was Matilda Devereau...proprietor of the Stardust Saloon in town. She was here to extend an invitation to a select group of men from the fort as a way of welcoming us to the area..." He enjoyed the way the young officer's face brightened at his answer.
“Matilda Devereau!” Jonah sighed, saying the name out loud both to make sure he remembered it and, well, just for the gosh-darn pleasure of saying it. “Sir, I don’t suppose if you happen know whether…”
"And no, she is not married, Lieutenant. It turns out she shot and killed her husband..." MacKenzie nodded sagely at the suddenly wide eyes he saw. "...Oh yes, out here in the West, it's not uncommon for a woman to shoot her spouse or significant other if they do or say something they find offensive.”
“What!? Really Sir?” queried the unbelieving aide.
“It's perfectly legal and a much more efficient way for men and women to get along out here on the frontier..." MacKenzie straightened and started back to his office but paused at the doorway. "You should probably keep that in mind when you are at the dance..." MacKenzie raised a finger like a pistol and his thumb dropped as it was pointed at Greene before the colonel continued on into his office. "...don't forget Officer's Call!"
“No Sir, Officer’s call, Sir!” he repeated in text book drill order, then remembering the injunction to relax more, and at the thrilling knowledge that he would be going to the dance, couldn’t help adding, with the dreamy eyed blindness of youth. “Colonel, Sir? It’s my opinion that some women might actually be worth getting shot for.”
Then he saluted, and got out: quick.