Caroline picked up knife and fork and commenced her attack upon the defenseless and wonderful smelling half duck. The first bite matched her expectations and her eyes lit up.
"Damn, this is good!" was her restaurant review in four words.
They had barely got tucked into the meal though when the waiter informed the handsome young lieutenant there was someone - turned out to be a soldier - looking to see him. The officer excused himself for a moment, she understood, army business. She was a professional too in her own career.
Suddenly a most familiar voice then face appeared, boldly sitting right down in the soldier's now vacant seat. Caroline tensed, now what?
"How's it going?! I come over to keep and eye on you in case he tried to drag you off to a hotel room and radish yuh." she informed her musical partner.
"You should not be spying on me like this. I can certainly take care of myself you should well know by now, Ara," Caroline frowned, "And it's ravish not radish."
"Did he propose yet? What's this yer eatin'?" she asked, looking down at Lt. Greene's plate.
"No he is not going to either, what are you doing?" Caroline eye's went wide.
The girl stuck a fork in a big piece of duck and crammed it into her mouth, giving it a chew. "Oooh, yummy!" she declared with her mouth full.
"That is his food! It is expensive and he paid for it. You have no right to do that. Now git out of here," snapped Caroline.
"Has he gone for a wee wee?"
"Get...............out...." the look on Caroline's face was grim, the tone of her voice almost murderous. Arabella knew her long enough by now when Caroline was really angry, this wasn't an act.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"Did he propose yet? What's this yer eatin'?" she asked, looking down at Lt. Greene's plate.
"No he is not going to either, what are you doing?" Caroline eye's went wide.
The girl stuck a fork in a big piece of duck and crammed it into her mouth, giving it a chew. "Oooh, yummy!" she declared with her mouth full.
"Why ain't he proposed, you're so pretty. I'd propose to you if I was a feller." said Arabella, or words to that effect: it was hard to tell with all the duck in her mouth.
"That is his food! It is expensive and he paid for it. You have no right to do that. Now git out of here," snapped Caroline.
"Has he gone for a wee wee?" asked the mischievous girl, but then spotted Greene out of the restaurant door, talking to a soldier. "Oooh no, there he is, he's talking to a corporal: three stripes, that's a corporal. If I was in the army, I'd be a General."
"Get...............out...." the look on Caroline's face was grim, the tone of her voice almost murderous. Arabella knew her long enough by now when Caroline was really angry, this wasn't an act.
Arabella looked delighted "He he, you look so cute when you're angry! Oh all right, I'm... oh no! He's comin' back!!" she suddenly yelped. She was too far from the pillar to go that way. "I'll hide under the table!" she suggested, diving to her knees and starting to burrow under the capricious table cloth.
Greene was approaching. "Sorry about that! There's been a little bit of a scare at the fort. Just letting me know I might have to head over there tomorrow."
Arabella looked delighted "He he, you look so cute when you're angry! Oh all right, I'm... oh no! He's comin' back!!" she suddenly yelped. She was too far from the pillar to go that way. "I'll hide under the table!" she suggested, diving to her knees and starting to burrow under the capricious table cloth.
Too late, par usual, Caroline hissed, "NO, don't!"
Greene was approaching. "Sorry about that! There's been a little bit of a scare at the fort. Just letting me know I might have to head over there tomorrow."
"Well, you might have another scare if your foot hits something under the table. Seems my nosy piano player is hiding under the table," Caroline dryly informed the man.
That announcement ought to flush her out, she figured.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Too late, par usual, Caroline hissed, "NO, don't!"
Greene was approaching. "Sorry about that! There's been a little bit of a scare at the fort. Just letting me know I might have to head over there tomorrow."
He drew out his chair and started to sit, looking a little grim about whatever the news had been.
"Well, you might have another scare if your foot hits something under the table. Seems my nosy piano player is hiding under the table," Caroline dryly informed the man.
That announcement ought to flush her out, she figured.
That brought a surprised look to the Lieutenant's face, and at least turned his frown upside down. "What?" he smiled. As he sat he started to lift up the table cloth, but then a waiter appeared to do the usual "Is everything to Sir and Madam's satisfaction?" routine. Apart from the intruder under the table, it was.
Once he had departed, Joseph gave Caroline a quizzical look and lifted the table cloth to have a peek. His look only became more quizzical - there was nobody there! There was something. He reached underneath, then hesitated, grabbed his napkin and brought up a very sorry looking tatty handkerchief covered with a very disreputable collection of stains and accretions.
"I think Cinderella has gone, but she left behind a glass slipper!" he said with a slightly confused air "Unless this is, er, yours?"
There was a slight sound of gurgling laughter far off in the distance, but of Arabella, no sign.
It was almost spooky....or maybe even creepy how the girl could have literally escaped like that without her even noticing, Caroline frowned. There was something ....wrong, strange about that girl. Joseph had been looking under the table and now reemerged with a napkin or handkerchief.
"I think Cinderella has gone, but she left behind a glass slipper!" he said with a slightly confused air "Unless this is, er, yours?"
"No, no ain't. She must have dropped it. Darnedest thing, don't know how she vanished like that?" it bugged the saloon girl.
"Oh and she also took a big bite out of yer duck so....." Caroline cut a nice hunk out of her duck breast meat and placed it on his plate then, "you can have a bite outta mine. I'm sorry about that. Seems no matter what I do, I can't teach her nothin'" Caroline sighed.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"I think Cinderella has gone, but she left behind a glass slipper!" he said with a slightly confused air "Unless this is, er, yours?"
"No, no ain't. She must have dropped it. Darnedest thing, don't know how she vanished like that?" it bugged the saloon girl.
To be honest, if that handkerchief had belonged to him, he would have denied it, too. It looked like it hadn't been washed for a year.
"Oh and she also took a big bite out of yer duck so....."
"Uh?" Joseph looked down at his plate. It looked the same to him, but to be fair, he had been so busy looking at and trying to impress the beautiful, and perhaps hallucination-prone, woman that he hadn't really noticed how much he had eaten.
Caroline cut a nice hunk out of her duck breast meat and placed it on his plate then, "you can have a bite outta mine."
"Oh, there was no need." Joseph smiled encouragingly. "But if you insist." The main thing with people who saw things that weren't there was not to encourage them, of course, but also never to directly challenge them, or prove what they thought they had seen wasn't really there.
"I'm sorry about that. Seems no matter what I do, I can't teach her nothin'" Caroline sighed.
Greene smiled and shook his head in an effort to look sympathetic. "It's like me with ex-corporal Rice!" he agreed. "And I bet when you get back and ask her about it, she'll deny ever even being here!" he commiserated. Maybe she drank too much - the old pink elephants, or perhaps some inherited mental illness. It didn't stop her being and attractive, funny woman, but if a ghostly vision of Arabella Mudd was going to be present at all their dates then it might be a case of 'two's company, three's a crowd.'
He put the disgusting, booger-encrusted hanky, wrapped discreetly in his napkin, on the table. "I'll keep this here, in case she comes back." he said kindly, motioning vaguely to under the table.
Greene smiled and shook his head in an effort to look sympathetic. "It's like me with ex-corporal Rice!" he agreed. "And I bet when you get back and ask her about it, she'll deny ever even being here!" he commiserated.
"Hell, I never know what she is gonna do or say everytime we are together. It's frustratin'," sighed Caroline.
He put the disgusting, booger-encrusted hanky, wrapped discreetly in his napkin, on the table. "I'll keep this here, in case she comes back." he said kindly, motioning vaguely to under the table.
"Sure, she'll most likely forget all about leavin' it behind," Caroline then shrugged and got back to eating, it really was a good meal, pity that girl kinda ruined the moment. But this food was not gonna go to waste.
Caroline once more attacked the meal with gusto.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
Caroline once more attacked the meal with gusto.
Greene followed suit and the interlude was soon forgotten. Well, sort of. Without really realising it himself, the lieutenant started to subconsciously keep a watch on just how much Miss Mundee was drinking. Otherwise, he moved on to other topics, like dessert!
When he had eaten up, he reached for the menu again.
"Well, that was delicious, but now let's get on to the really important stuff!" he beamed. "Hmmm, lots of different things to choose from...." he frowned at the cardboard list of nice sweets.
While he thought about it, he shot Caroline a, perhaps, unexpected question.
"Say, you're a woman, right? " he was very observant "Have you ever used that dressmaker's on Main Street? I mean, had something made up by them?"
Now it was time for dessert. Caroline still had room for it and so it sounded like the soldier boy too.
"I will try some of that....ice cream. I only ever had that once before, in Chicago. In the winter," Caroline decided. She liked pie and cake too but she could get both from the diner, that woman was an excellent baker.
"Say, you're a woman, right? "
Caroline glanced at him, "Last I looked, I mean I got the parts."
He now asked a surprising question, "Have you ever used that dressmaker's on Main Street? I mean, had something made up by them?"
"Well, yeah, I have. He made me a special dress for my act even. Why? I gotta say yer a right pretty enough man but I don't think you'd do yerself any favors in a dress," she grinned.
"Er, would you fellers mind awfully standing to attention?"
"I will try some of that....ice cream. I only ever had that once before, in Chicago. In the winter," Caroline decided. She liked pie and cake too but she could get both from the diner, that woman was an excellent baker.
Greene was immeasurably pleased by Caroline's decision to partake in some 'afters' - he would have felt like a heel sitting there tucking into a pudding on his own.
"That sounds like bad timing." chuckled Greene "It's most delicious during a heat wave. Not that we get too many of those around here." To be fair, the weather did manage to be warm and pleasant, even this far north.
He perused the menu card, still undecided "Hmmm, anything but apple pie for me: boy, I got my fill of that back in Vermont."
"Say, you're a woman, right? "
Caroline glanced at him, "Last I looked, I mean I got the parts."
"I'll say." he agreed, cheekily.
He now asked a surprising question, "Have you ever used that dressmaker's on Main Street? I mean, had something made up by them?"
"Well, yeah, I have. He made me a special dress for my act even. Why? I gotta say yer a right pretty enough man but I don't think you'd do yerself any favors in a dress," she grinned.
"Oh, I don't know, I think a nice frock in Prussian Blue would bring out my eyes, but we've already got one feller in the regiment who's taken to wearing dresses, I don't want to step on his range." joked the Lieutenant casually. "What I'm more after is a new dress uniform. We used to have a Major up at the fort, Brittles, insisted we all wear dress uniform in the officers' mess for formal dinners. You ever tried eating sour pork and beans in epaulettes? Well, anyway, he's gone, thank God, but so is my once resplendent dress uniform!"
The waiter came then and took their dessert order: two ice-creams, and then Greene returned to his sartorial theme.
"So, I need a new uniform making, and the local tailor here isn't that great, so I'm wondering if a ladies' dressmaker might make a better job of it. Did they make that dress you're wearing? That's nice! Say, how do you mean when you said they made you a 'special' dress?"