"Showing off?!" frowned the Lieutenant, then broke into a grin "Of course I'm showing of. I'm trying to impress a beautiful woman. If I didn't want to show off, I'd have taken you to that Lick Spill It place instead."
"Aww, again with the compliments," Caroline smiled, "But actually Lick Skillet has good food and the whole menu is in American too."
They toasted with the sherry then. It was alright, hope he didn't have to pay too much for this though, she thought. Then just like that, the topic of conversation got real serious, well that was her fault really. She up and told him her unfortunate encounter as a teenager. With a soldier too though she hadn't included that bit. But perhaps she shouldn't have been so blunt? It knocked him for a loop.
"Caroline, I don't know what to say. 'I'm sorry that it happened' isn't enough. I feel ashamed. Ashamed for all of my sex. God. That's just awful. I'm sorry." he shook his head again and stared at the table cloth.
"Whoa there, general. You have nothing to be ashamed of, you weren't there, it wasn't your fault. I got nothing against men. Hell, they're my best customers. You know what they say - life ain't fair. It sure wasn't fair for me that time. But I haven't let it spoil my time here on earth. I enjoy life, I love my job, the saloon is my home and the folks there my family. So please, don't get all sad and glum. I was promised a good time," she pointed out very calmly, almost matter of fact.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Caroline's revelation had knocked all the puff out of Joseph. He felt like it had only just happened, it behoved him to be respectfully doleful and mirthless, he even apologised for the incident.
"Whoa there, general. You have nothing to be ashamed of, you weren't there, it wasn't your fault. I got nothing against men. Hell, they're my best customers. You know what they say - life ain't fair. It sure wasn't fair for me that time. But I haven't let it spoil my time here on earth. I enjoy life, I love my job, the saloon is my home and the folks there my family. So please, don't get all sad and glum."
The saloon girl did a good job of assuring Joseph that he need not take the hit for another man's crime. But he couldn't help thinking 'There but for the grace of God go I'.
I was promised a good time," she pointed out very calmly, almost matter of fact.
He nodded. "Yeah, I did promise that." he spoke quietly and gave a grim, tight little smile, where a minute ago he had been laughing broadly.
He looked up at her. She was still Caroline Mundee, the glamorous saloon singer, she was still beautiful, but she was different to him now. She wasn't just 'a woman', she was a real person: like his sisters or cousins or the one other female he had ever been able to call, legitimately, a friend.
He no longer felt the urge to impress her; to be 'charming and funny'; even to deliver on the promised 'good time'. It was rather freeing, in a way.
He picked up on what she had just said.
"So, you've told me one of the terrible times of your life, hopefully nothing has ever been worse than that: what was the best thing that ever happened to you?" he asked. Kinda corny, but it moved them on to something brighter without ignoring the presence of the shade that had blighted her early life.
He nodded. "Yeah, I did promise that." he spoke quietly and gave a grim, tight little smile, where a minute ago he had been laughing broadly.
"And I'd expect a proper gentleman to keep his promises," she added.
"So, you've told me one of the terrible times of your life, hopefully nothing has ever been worse than that: what was the best thing that ever happened to you?"
She nodded, "Well actually somethin' worse did happen to me even worse than that. But you don't wanna hear about it so.......lemme think..........best thing...best thing."
There was a pregnant pause.
"Sorry, it's not like I can't think of one, there's been plenty of good things in my life. But just to narrow it down to one, huh. Alright..........yeah alright, I do remember how happy I felt the day that I stood up in front of all the customers in my Pa's saloon and he let me sing a number. I remember the looks too I got from some of those men........like as if to say what the hell's that stupid kid doin' up there," she was smiling now as she spoke.
"It was strange....I shoulda been more scared - I mean not like I'd ever done it before. Plus I was ...well, not quite fourteen yet. But I wasn't....wasn't scared that is. I was sure of myself I knew all the words, I'd sung the song many times before. My Ma loved hearing me sing it."
"But this was just me and all these hard men, it was a rough part of Chicago. Anyhow I just up and sang it like I'd been doin' this fer years. And the crowd......well, they sat or stood there and listened and I could see the looks on a few of their faces when I did sneak a peek down....I had their full attention alright."
"When I finished, I got a big round of applause and cheerin' too. They loved me. But here's the best part. I got off that stage then and went back behind the bar - I needed to grab glasses to wash and bring out other ones. But my father he just looked down on me and...........well, he often could be a real hard man...he had to be to run a place like that. And he could be demandin' of me too when it came to doin' all the chores n' such. But he looked down at me and his eyes were different. He smiled at me and said ....just these words...I remember them as clear as if I heard 'em yesterday..."
"My little angel....I'm proud of you ya know..."
Caroline now gave a contented sigh, her tale done. She hoped he liked it because that was just how it had happened. And back then she knew right then and there what she wanted to do with her life. That had never changed.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Joseph watched Caroline intensely as she told the story of her first performance. It didn't sound like a thing she had told a lot of people before: this was no stale, rehearsed repartee; she seemed to be reaching down into her heart for the first time, and sometimes, in the telling of it, struggled to piece it together and find words to express what had happened and how she had felt about it.
Frankly, he felt a little privileged that the brassy blonde who had a smart answer for everything had revealed to him something just as private and meaningful to him as her previous tale of woe. Maybe she didn't mind revealing her vulnerable side to him because she saw him as, yeuk, harmless.
Of course, after all this, he then went and managed to put his size 12 cavalry boots in his mouth.
"That's wonderful" he said "So is the old man still in Chicago? You ever hear from him?" he asked jauntily.
"That's wonderful" he said.
Caroline was glad he liked the story, she actually enjoyed telling it, it brought back the fondest of memories. But then...
"So is the old man still in Chicago? You ever hear from him?" he asked jauntily.
Again she did not blame him even though he brought up a most sore topic for her. How would he have known? The question was a fair one.
"Remember when I said there was something even worse in my life than when I was ...you know. Well, he's dead. He was trying to break up a brawl in the saloon and this man pulled a gun and shot him dead. My Pa wasn't armed, he broke up fights with his fists, he was a big strong man. And this fella....he didn't just shoot him. He meant to make sure he killed him, he put two more shots in him after he was on the floor...." she paused, this memory too was clear, she'd never forget it.
"I was there, I saw it happen. I was not quite fifteen. Ma was already gone, she had got some sort of disease and went pretty fast. So I was alone. They took the saloon, I had no rights to it cuz my folks had never actually legally married," she explained.
"Yer not gonna get all upset and sad again I hope?" she suddenly asked. After all he had asked and she had just told the truth of it.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"So is the old man still in Chicago? You ever hear from him?" he asked jauntily.
"Remember when I said there was something even worse in my life than when I was ...you know. Well, he's dead."
Oh great. Just as he thought he had saved the day, he fumbled the ball again. Him and his big mouth. "Oh. Er.... I'm sorry to hear that." he groped for something else to say. "What happened?" Oh... fudge! That was a bad question to ask.
"He was trying to break up a brawl in the saloon and this man pulled a gun and shot him dead. My Pa wasn't armed, he broke up fights with his fists, he was a big strong man. And this fella....he didn't just shoot him. He meant to make sure he killed him, he put two more shots in him after he was on the floor...." she paused, this memory too was clear, she'd never forget it.
"The news must have greatly upset you." Joseph said, dumbly. Oh, but it got worse.
"I was there, I saw it happen. I was not quite fifteen. Ma was already gone, she had got some sort of disease and went pretty fast. So I was alone. They took the saloon, I had no rights to it cuz my folks had never actually legally married," she explained.
"Oh God!" he sighed. He didn't dare open his mouth now, in case what he said invited further memories of grim and sad events.
"Yer not gonna get all upset and sad again I hope?" she suddenly asked. After all he had asked and she had just told the truth of it.
Maybe he should tell her some of the bad things that had happened to him in his life. Like the time he lost all of his allowance to a fellow West Point cadet, or when he fell out of that tree and broke his (sister's) arm, or... no, this was weak, weak stuff. Caroline had won on the tales of woe front.
"No, I... I was just thinking of some of the bad things that have happened to me in my life." He tried to look manly and brave at the recollection of them "But I don't want to dwell on them. Let's think about happy things. Er... say, have you got any nice plans coming up? Any..." he opened his hands "... parties, or trips or... anything?"
As she answered his questions in a blunt but calm tone of voice, he voiced his sympathy and Caroline rated his responses as sincere too. She prided herself on being able to judge folks and especially spot the frauds. The young lieutenant was genuine enough. She ended that latest tale of woe asking if he was going to go all 'sad' on her? She did not want that.
"No, I... I was just thinking of some of the bad things that have happened to me in my life."
She nodded, he no doubt had some, didn't everybody really?
"But I don't want to dwell on them. Let's think about happy things", he declared.
"Yeah, I agree. Like how good that duck is gonna taste," she grinned.
"Er... say, have you got any nice plans coming up? Any..." he opened his hands "... parties, or trips or... anything?"
That brought a chuckle from the veteran saloon girl.
"Nah, I don't exactly get invited to parties. As for trips, not really. I pretty much live in that saloon which isn't a bad thing. Like I said, I like what I do for a livin'," she shrugged and sipped that weak wine.
"What about you? Do you have to travel around a lot in the army? You seen a lot of places so far?" she was curious.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"But I don't want to dwell on them. Let's think about happy things", he declared.
"Yeah, I agree. Like how good that duck is gonna taste," she grinned.
He nodded. "I hope so!"
"Er... say, have you got any nice plans coming up? Any..." he opened his hands "... parties, or trips or... anything?"
That brought a chuckle from the veteran saloon girl.
"Nah, I don't exactly get invited to parties. As for trips, not really. I pretty much live in that saloon which isn't a bad thing. Like I said, I like what I do for a livin'," she shrugged and sipped that weak wine.
"I guess it's one of those places where, even if you don't get out into town, half the town comes to you instead" he said positively. He didn't add that it wasn't necessarily the better half of town that went there. He resisted a pang of jealously at all those men who went to stare at her as much as listen. He knew what she did for a living, just like she knew what he did. It was none of his business, and that was that. They were here together now, and they should be able to enjoy each other's company without fretting about what happened yesterday and what would happen tomorrow..
"What about you? Do you have to travel around a lot in the army? You seen a lot of places so far?" she was curious.
"I'd love to say 'yes'" he shrugged sadly "But I've spent most of my time inside wooden forts and looking at fellers wearing blue coats and yellow stripes down their leg. This new job they've got me on with the weather balloons: it's not exactly glamourous; not exactly the kind of thing you can use to impress a girl you've taken for a plate of duck in a fancy hotel restaurant..." he laughed a little at himself "... but you know Caroline, I like it - out there alone on the prairie, and up in the hills, the beauty of this land..." he looked a little distant, like he was sitting on some mountainside right now, looking down on this tawdry, muddy, slapdash little settlement and just seeing a tiny blurred blot in the valley.
"You should come out with me one day. It'd mean an early start, though!" he offered, not expecting her to be overly tempted.
"I'd love to say 'yes'" he shrugged sadly "But I've spent most of my time inside wooden forts and looking at fellers wearing blue coats and yellow stripes down their leg. This new job they've got me on with the weather balloons: it's not exactly glamourous; not exactly the kind of thing you can use to impress a girl you've taken for a plate of duck in a fancy hotel restaurant..." he laughed a little at himself "... but you know Caroline, I like it - out there alone on the prairie, and up in the hills, the beauty of this land..." he looked a little distant.
"Weather balloons huh?" Caroline really didn't get why the army needed to know about the weather? After all if they had to chase Injuns or somebody, it's not like a rainfall would keep them from going on out of the fort? But there was a whole lot she did not get about military things and military men.
"You should come out with me one day. It'd mean an early start, though!" he offered.
"Wait! Did you just say 'alone' out there? So you don't take along any soldiers of yers? I mean there are hostile Indians all over the place, why are they sendin' you out on yer lonesome?"
"Plus I'm a city girl. Truth is I don't know how ta ride a horse. A cowpoke I know offered to teach me ta ride but he's never followed thru on it. So no, I will take a pass, hon," she smiled.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"Weather balloons huh?" Caroline really didn't get why the army needed to know about the weather?
Greene nodded. "Yep. Weather balloons." he confirmed.
"You should come out with me one day. It'd mean an early start, though!" he offered.
"Wait! Did you just say 'alone' out there? So you don't take along any soldiers of yers? I mean there are hostile Indians all over the place, why are they sendin' you out on yer lonesome?"
The young Lieutenant looked at her with a sort of a frown. "That's a good question, Caroline. Well, they did send me a man to help me with the balloons and 'protect' me while I'm operating them, but he turned out be more trouble than he was worth, he kept on sneaking off and spending all his time in a certain saloon."
"In fact, you probably know him, Corporal Rice... well, Private Rice now." he corrected himself "He sneaked off once too often, so I broke him and sent him back to the fort."
"So is it just the Indians that's putting you off?" he asked.
"Plus I'm a city girl. Truth is I don't know how ta ride a horse. A cowpoke I know offered to teach me ta ride but he's never followed thru on it. So no, I will take a pass, hon," she smiled.
He held his palms up in resignation "Oh well. At least let me teach you how to ride. It's a pretty easy two-step process: number one, get on, number two, don't fall off. What're you doing tomorrow?" he asked. If some cowpoke couldn't follow through, he sure could.