Mature Content: No
With: Caroline Mundee, Joseph Greene
Location: Hotel dining room
When: Aug 1876
Time of Day: Late afternoon
Entering the hotel, Caroline gawked around while her gentleman date requested a table. The saloon gal made a point of not even glancing at the employee but if she had she would have noticed the man's gaze went right from the young man to the gaudy woman without even a hat on. Still, the fellow said nothing but merely waved them to follow him.
"Right this way, sir. If you would be so kind," he droned then almost regally processed thru the dining room past a few other couples already seated and enjoying a meal. Caroline caught the eye of one woman who seemed ..............yeah shocked was her expression alright but Caroline just flashed a saucy grin at the lady who quickly looked down to her dinner plate.
The man led them right to a small table for two in the farmost corner, Caroline noted the placement was such no one passing by the hotel and looking thru the big windows could even see them. She smiled to herself, knowing why this table was picked.
"There you are, sir. I shall notify the waiter and he shall attend upon you in a moment," the man gave a curt nod and left them there.
Caroline glanced at Joseph, "Well, least he didn't led us right out the back door. That's something."
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"There you are, sir. I shall notify the waiter and he shall attend upon you in a moment," the man gave a curt nod and left them there.
Joe watched the pompous fellow go with a sort of wry grin on his face. "Kinda likes to talk you through it doesn't he?" he laughed lightly, moving to pull Caroline's chair out for her by pure gentlemanly instinct.
Caroline glanced at Joseph, "Well, least he didn't led us right out the back door. That's something."
The young officer laughed out loud at this, and once his lady was seated he did likewise. "Just don't steal the silver!" he added, picking up a fork "Well, silver plate" he amended, examining a fork and toying with it as he continued to speak.
"Ah, this place isn't bad for little town like Kalispell, is it? In fact it's very nice. Mind you, that's probably due to you, you sort of light up a room." he informed her. "Well, you probably know that already, being in the entertainment business."
"Just don't steal the silver!" he added, picking up a fork "Well, silver plate" he amended, examining a fork and toying with it as they chatted.
"So you sayin' I'm a thief? Just cuz I work in a saloon? " Caroline took umbrage but then waved it off with a smile, "I know, just teasin'. Well, ya better be just teasin'."
"Ah, this place isn't bad for little town like Kalispell, is it? In fact it's very nice. Mind you, that's probably due to you, you sort of light up a room." he informed her.
"Wait! Why did my dress catch on fire?" she quipped, he sure was laying on the compliments with a trowel.
"Well, you probably know that already, being in the entertainment business."
"I don't wanna sound like I'm bragging but I am good at what I do. But that's when I'm performin', doin' my job. Here and now, I'm just plain Caroline Mundee, the girl who was happy to be asked out on a date."
She did not want to stand out, she just wanted to blend in for this one short evening.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"So you sayin' I'm a thief? Just cuz I work in a saloon? " Caroline took umbrage but then waved it off with a smile, "I know, just teasin'. Well, ya better be just teasin'."
Joe was taken a little a-back. Caroline was touchy. His careless joke had hurt her, stung her in a sensitive place. She'd laughed it off sure, and saying sorry would only make it worse. But lesson learned.
"Ah, this place isn't bad for little town like Kalispell, is it? In fact it's very nice. Mind you, that's probably due to you, you sort of light up a room." he informed her.
"Wait! Why did my dress catch on fire?" she quipped, he sure was laying on the compliments with a trowel.
"Well, you probably know that already, being in the entertainment business."
He'd touched her again, but this time in a good way. Another lesson learned.
"I don't wanna sound like I'm bragging but I am good at what I do. But that's when I'm performin', doin' my job. Here and now, I'm just plain Caroline Mundee, the girl who was happy to be asked out on a date."
"Well good! Let's talk about now. What do you like the look of on the menu?" he said jauntily. He was getting a sense that Caroline Mundee was a far more complicated character than perhaps he had banked on. He knew she was pretty, he knew she was funny, he knew she was talented. There was a shadow there, though. Shadows were cast by the past. He was determined to keep everything in the present. Now. Now was the only time that mattered.
"Hey, this isn't bad." he said, having a look himself.
"Well good! Let's talk about now. What do you like the look of on the menu?" he said jauntily.
Caroline picked up one of the menus, it wasn't a large one but then most places out west didn't even have menus, they would be chalked onto a board posted on a wall. But these were all printed out nice and fancy like.
"Alright lemme give it a look see," she studied it, skimming down the entrees. Mostly beef dishes not surprising in ranch country.
"Hey, this isn't bad." he said, having a look himself.
"I'm sure it's quite a bit better than army food, leastwise from what Ralph sez when he served in the army," Caroline commented then smiled as she focused on one dish in particular.
"Hey, I think I got my choice. Roast duck. I mean I've had chicken and I like that but never tried duck. Kind of pricey though," she glanced for his reaction.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"I'm sure it's quite a bit better than army food, leastwise from what Ralph sez when he served in the army," Caroline commented then smiled as she focused on one dish in particular.
"Ralph, that's the barkeep at your place right?" he checked. "He probably served in the war, that's a different story. The chow at the Fort isn't too bad, especially for the officers." he could have gone on to tell her that as he was now based in town, near the telegraph office where he could send in his weather balloon reports, Army food wasn't even an issue. But he didn't want to just sit there droning on about himself. Also, she didn't think he would be very impressed by his little weather balloons, they weren't exactly glamorous, like a cavalry charge.
"Hey, I think I got my choice. Roast duck. I mean I've had chicken and I like that but never tried duck. Kind of pricey though," she glanced for his reaction.
"Have two!" he laughed. "Money no object, you've gotta know my family owns half the orchards in Vermont. You think I'm bragging? Never heard of greene Apples?" he boasted in a jocular manner.
"Yeah, let's try the duck. Hmm, maybe a Beaujolais with that." he hummed and hawed at the wine menu. "And if we don't like it, we'll come back tomorrow and try something else!" he grinned.
"Ralph, that's the barkeep at your place right?" he checked. "He probably served in the war, that's a different story. The chow at the Fort isn't too bad, especially for the officers."
"He did, in the Union cavalry," Caroline nodded.
They now studied the menu and Caroline quickly decided on the roast duck though if he seemed to be less than enthusiastic about the price, she might reconsider.
"Have two!" he laughed. "Money is no object, you've gotta know my family owns half the orchards in Vermont. You think I'm bragging? Never heard of greene Apples?"
"No, not really," the joke went right over the saloon girl's head. In her life she honestly was not familiar with all the various brands of apples there were. To her an apple was an apple.
"Mostly I eat'em in pies," she smiled.
"Yeah, let's try the duck. Hmm, maybe a Beaujolais with that." he hummed and hawed at the wine menu.
Caroline figured that fancy name was some kind of expensive wine. Again not her area of expertise. She was more of a whiskey drinker or scotch or bourbon on rare occasion.
"If you say so," she nodded. If it had alcohol in it, she'd drink pretty much anything.
"And if we don't like it, we'll come back tomorrow and try something else!"
"Oh so you think we're gonna be doin' this regular?" she raised one eyebrow.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"Oh, he'd get on with my old man, and my Grandpa, too. They're Cavalry through and through. Me, I'm more the sitting in a restaurant with a pretty girl type."
He made a weak joke about the family orchards which fell as flat as an apple pan dowdy.
"Mostly I eat'em in pies," she smiled.
Joe feigned a serious and professional frown "Ooooh, you need Cookers for that: Northern Spy or Gravenstein. But please don't get me stated on apples: of all the subjects I can be boring about, that's the worst." he informed her, self-effacingly.
They decided on what to eat, and the young officer mooted the idea of coming back again.
"Oh so you think we're gonna be doin' this regular?" she raised one eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but it may be necessary for you to accompany me again until we've tried every dish on this menu... at least three times. It'll be long arduous hours of having to listen to me droning on about apples and balloons and remount requisition forms, but you'll be doing your patriotic duty and helping the Army out immeasurably." he babbled on.
His mother had once advised him 'Now, when you're with a girl, Joe, don't just go on about yourself. Ask her some questions about herself' but he couldn't help thinking that with Caroline Mundee 'questions about herself' had Can of Worms written all over it.
"Ooooh, you need Cookers for that: Northern Spy or Gravenstein. But please don't get me stated on apples: of all the subjects I can be boring about, that's the worst." he informed her, self-effacingly.
"Northern spy? Dumb name for an apple if ya ask me," Caroline observed, "But sure, enough about apples then. Not like I have anything to add to the subject anyhow other then they taste good. Well, when they ain't all mushy or rottin'."
They decided on what to eat, and the young officer mooted the idea of coming back again.
"Oh so you think we're gonna be doin' this regular?" she raised one eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but it may be necessary for you to accompany me again until we've tried every dish on this menu... at least three times. It'll be long arduous hours of having to listen to me droning on about apples and balloons and remount requisition forms, but you'll be doing your patriotic duty and helping the Army out immeasurably." he babbled on.
"Oh lordy, patriotic duty huh? Well I do consider myself a patriot. I thought Mr. Lincoln was a swell president. Too bad those poor loser rebs shot him."
"If they'd have let women in that war, Ida joined. Course I was about 7-8 years old then," she grinned.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"Northern spy? Dumb name for an apple if ya ask me," Caroline observed, "But sure, enough about apples then. Not like I have anything to add to the subject anyhow other then they taste good. Well, when they ain't all mushy or rottin'."
"Actually, when Northern Spies turn, they can be used for cider making or..." he dramatically clapped his hand over his own mouth to stop himself talking about apples.
They decided on what to eat, and the young officer mooted the idea of coming back again. as a patriotic duty.
"Oh lordy, patriotic duty huh? Well I do consider myself a patriot. I thought Mr. Lincoln was a swell president. Too bad those poor loser rebs shot him."
"Worst thing that ever happened to the South, that's for sure." ruminated Greene "But I don't know about Ol' Abe. Maybe it's best to go out like that, when you're on top. I mean look at Grant: he was the idol of the North when the war ended. If he'd gone out then, he'd be held in as high esteem as President Lincoln is today. But now look, after all these scandals and the Whiskey thing..." he looked philosophical "Some men are at their best in peace, some in war."
"If they'd have let women in that war, Ida joined. Course I was about 7-8 years old then," she grinned.
He laughed.
"Wouldn't fancy Lee's chances against even a half-sized Miss Mundee!" he said, giving her the benefit of his 'vast' military experience and all he had learned at West Point. "Or you could have gone as a cantinière!" he suggested. Then an odd memory buzzed around him, like an annoying fly: something he had witnessed months ago.
"Say, didn't I see your funny little friend dressed up as one of those particular 'ladies' one time?" he frowned.