Sighing, Jonah shrugged. "Does the elegant Miz Miggins have a motive beyond despising your name?' For some...many...that was enough to want to stop Leah, but it was something that could be overcome with facts and education. As for the costumes...
“I ain’t never seen the like, ‘specially that fellow in the bear outfit. He sure give Addy a fright!” Boone stated.
"Not really sure why everyone was dressed up," Jonah couldn't help but chuckle, "someone's idea of a joke, perhaps." Again, he shrugged as he observed, "Or perhaps a way to discredit the event, make it a laughing stock?" If no one took things seriously, Leah would never have her voice heard. But he knew this wouldn't stop her.
“You maybe have a point there. But what, three were dressed up? Of the women present they stood out like sore thumbs. That Miggins woman, they oughtta ride her out of town on a rail!” Boone added, yet Leah had said nothing.
At the table, he held the chair for her.
“Thank you, Jonah. Gentlemen, it would appear that we are in a fight with this community.” She announced at last. Thoughts that had been going through her mind. “Not everyone, mind you, but perhaps just enough of the town to force us to seriously consider alternate planning if we are to have this hospital. It’s not like I haven’t been thinking along those lines already, and perhaps, just perhaps some of those ladies will be convinced, but we cannot remain ill prepared to move n a different direction should the Town Council vote against us.”
"Of course, contingencies," Jonah commented as he sat across from Leah, "but I'm not well versed in how these things work? It seems to me that the land is the first step, right? And funding?"
Once they had a place to put the building, and the money to build it, he couldn't think of what could stop them. But it was those two major factors that could get in the way, of course. The key would be a couple of wealthy benefactors, but he didn't know the locals well enough to know who those might be.
"If I can help in any way to find you backers, I'll do that." He could easily turn on the charm if he chose, he'd just need a target!
“And under what by-line and in which journal may I expect to read my name?” asked goldilocks.
"For most of the publications, I use my maiden name as I started writing for some San Francisco publications shortly before I was married. My current surname is a combination of both. I'm Sarah Thornton-Carlton."
As she waited for the girl to respond, Sarah quickly glanced at the room which was in disarray after the melee. Matt investigating the mess and she smiled. She liked him a lot and the more she got to know him, the more she liked him. It was too soon to think of marriage but the possibility was there. Whether or not she would take it was another question to be answered later on.
Turning her glance back to Anaesthesia, she smiled, "I must say that you have an unusual name. It is no doubt something befitting a unique young lady like yourself. Your parents must have great hopes for you."
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
"For most of the publications, I use my maiden name as I started writing for some San Francisco publications shortly before I was married. My current surname is a combination of both. I'm Sarah Thornton-Carlton."
Ever cognisant of the social niceties, Anaesthesia had to do a quick mental calculation in her pretty little head to work out exactly which salutation to use in addressing the lady. Luckily, there was a lot of room in there to do it. She assumed that the lady journalist must be a widow, the outré idea of divorce never entered her head, and her lack of widows weeds must mean that her husband had died many years ago.
“Then it is Mrs Thornton-Carlton?” she tried. Gosh, and people said that her name was a mouthful! This lady’s was a veritable tongue twister.
Turning her glance back to Anaesthesia, she smiled, "I must say that you have an unusual name. It is no doubt something befitting a unique young lady like yourself."
"I think that it is rather a silly name really, and it is seldom that it is not mispronounced or mocked." the girl blushed "But my parents named me for that marvellous discovery of modern science that preserved both my own life and that of my mother when I was born." she looked over to where her mother was examining her knuckles, bruised by the right hook she had given her opponent in the recent bust-up.
"Dear, dear Mother. How willing I am to live with my silly, silly name, if it is the price I must render to Him, our Savior, who controls all our fates, to pay for her continued presence upon this Worldly plane." she simpered pathetically.
"Your parents must have great hopes for you."
“Indeed, but I am afraid that there are no prospective grooms in this vicinity that they quite approve of.” Answered the soon-to-come-of-age Miss Orr. It never occurred to her that by ‘great hopes’ Sarah could mean anything other than ‘a suitable marriage’. “Father mentioned inviting one of Mr Wentworth’s younger brothers to my birthday party but I am afraid that, unlike he and his father, they are both rather rough ‘cowboy’ types.” She confided.
Then she had a sudden and alarming thought.
“Oh! You will not put these confidences in your article, I hope!” she cried, her flawless alabaster skin turning even paler than normal.
"Of course, contingencies," Jonah commented as he sat across from Leah, "but I'm not well versed in how these things work? It seems to me that the land is the first step, right? And funding?"
“Well, time to tell you both the financial conditions of our project.” Leah began, leaning forward in hushed tones. “I have a signed commitment to build the hospital from Andressian Brothers of Helena at a total cost of $40,000.” She smiled. (Based on the actual cost of St. Marys Hospital in Virginia City NV 1875)
“For medical equipment and furnishings I already have grants, just for the hospital alone, totaling another $25,000.” She sat back as the waitress arrived to take their orders. Leah’s was tea.
“How can we hope to raise that kind of money, Leah? I mean, forty thousand might just be out of our reach.” Doc Boone stated before Jonah could speak. But Leah looked to Jonah and waited for him to speak before she went on. There was much more to tell them, more that would quiet their doubts, if there were any besides raising capital.
Jonah raised an eyebrow when Leah announced the cost of the building, and although he was pretty certain that the amount she had quoted, while grand, was quite a bargain when it came to something as large as a hospital. And Dr. Boone was right, that was a lot of money to raise.
"I suppose it should be an advantage," Jonah observed, "to have a promised amount, so that you can give specific numbers to potential backers." After all, it only made sense that they would want to know the numbers, and not being able to provide definitive answers could be a problem.
"But Dr. Boone is right, how can we raise that much?"
"Because, gentlemen, it is already raised." She responded quietly, as the waitress walked away to get their drinks. "It sits, tucked away, gathering interest in the Allen and Millard Bank in Virginia City."
"Virginia City? Why that's a federal Reserve bank, I know of it, actually know it well. Couldn't be in a safer location." Doc Boone stated emphatically.
Leah smiled. "One might thank Elias Steelgrave for the donation that helped raise the necessary funds, but we shall dispense with such things. Since he is unaware of his generosity."
She looked to both men, studying their reactions to he statements. "Not to worry gentlemen, nothing illegal has transpired. I was taught from an early age what to do with money and I followed those instructions to the letter, unlike my mother or brothers. Every dime I have came indirectly, and directly, from my father, or my mother. However, my inheritance from grandparents have paved the way to what money I have today."
There was, of course, the small matter of the twenty thousand dollars removed from his private accounts. That was neither a gift or a loan, but molestation reimbursement. But no one need know of that.
Oh! You will not put these confidences in your article, I hope!” she cried, her flawless alabaster skin turning even paler than normal.
"No, I won't because I write stories about the things I see and sometimes things I see are more interesting than anything I can make up, especially today's incident."
Sarah paused, "I will probably use something like a pseudonym for you like, Daisy because you are fresh and beautiful as the flower of that name. So anything you say to me will be attributed to Daisy and no-one will know."
Hoping that would appease the young lady, Sarah looked around the room and saw that the cleaning up had already started. "I think we should leave so that Mr. Wentworth and his staff can make this place presentable again. I'm going to my room to start on this story, so that I can send it off before I leave tomorrow to go back home."
She held out her hand, "It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Orr."
Well, there was a problem solved, and another problem piled on...
"So, you have the funding, but if people find out it comes from you..." Jonah smirked and shook his head. "Yet another reason of nay-sayers to fight the project, sadly. Regardless of how you came by the funds, they will insist that the money is tainted."
Unless there was a way to hide the source, but he wasn't sure how that could be accomplished, he didn't think folks would buy into 'anonymous donor', especially for such a large sum.
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
"No, I won't because I write stories about the things I see and sometimes things I see are more interesting than anything I can make up, especially today's incident."
“Truth certainly is stranger than fiction.” The angelic Miss Orr nodded.
Sarah paused, "I will probably use something like a pseudonym for you like, Daisy because you are fresh and beautiful as the flower of that name. So anything you say to me will be attributed to Daisy and no-one will know."
DAISY?! Like in a COW?!! Miss Orr’s cheeks colored. “Ahh, perhaps some less bovine form of pseudonymous nomenclature might be more pretty?” she quickly replied “How about, hummm… Miss Denise de la Galincourt?” she suggested fancifully, although either way, she was somewhat disappointed that her actual name might not appear in print: either in a very flattering light or the complete opposite, in which case she fancied a veritable ‘War of Letters’ breaking out, with herself as the much admired innocent party, stating her point of view in a string of eloquent and heart rending letters to be published in The Young Lady. Her bonny blue eyes fair shone at the thought of such fame.
Hoping that would appease the young lady, Sarah looked around the room and saw that the cleaning up had already started. "I think we should leave so that Mr. Wentworth and his staff can make this place presentable again. I'm going to my room to start on this story, so that I can send it off before I leave tomorrow to go back home."
Anaesthesia agreed and stood up.
She held out her hand, "It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Orr."
The girl took the older woman’s hand and gave a little curtsey of deference.
As they parted, a woman waddled over in great excitement: she looked like a ‘fat and forty something’ version of Anaesthesia herself, for it was Mrs Esther Orr, her mother. “Oh! Oh! My little girl! My dear little girl! For one horrible moment back there, I thought you were going to recite Hiawatha!” she gurgled, throwing her arms around her mortified daughter and kissing her on the cheek.