"What's it say? What's it say?!" the girl was more excited than Caroline.

"Well...it starts by saying hopefully a certain Miss Mudd did not open this letter and read it because that would be tampering with federal mail and a hanging offense in Montana," Caroline made all that part up but pretended to read it.

"Ooh, really?" grinned Arabella evilly "Just imagine that, Caroline, me bein' put on a gallows and hanged in front of everybody, an' Marshal Guyer 'd probably botch it and it wouldn't break my neck and I'd be danglin' there being strangulated with my legs kickin' all over the place and all them folks lookin' up my skirts and me gurglin' and goin' like this..." she put one hand to her throat and one holding an imaginary rope above her head, tipped her head and pulled out her tongue and crossed her eyes and made a horrible noise in her throat like Ung-ung-ung!!

When she had finished this horrible pantomime, she rubbed the front of her dress in a not altogether pleasant way and asked "The though of being 'sphixiated like that, makes a body feel kind funny don't it?"

"Not really but it is from Lt. Greene alright. He's in town and wants to dine with me....sometime."

"Oh, well, that 'splains it. He's staying at Wigfall's and and he give that note to Jemima to give to me to give to you, secret like. Mrs Wigfall's keepin' him under lock and key and won't let anyone visit him. Say's he's too sick. 'Mima said her Ma's gone awful strange ever since Mr Orr died: kinda man mad! She's even chasing after your friend Mr Flagg, and let's face it, he ain't no oil painting, bless him. Yep, that old bat's gotten hornier than a billy goat with two diddlers." she surmised.

Caroline watched the girl talk about being hung herself and well........it was both funny and disturbing. That girl certainly was a strange one but then Caroline had come to that conclusion a long time ago.

"The thought of being 'sphixiated like that, makes a body feel kind funny don't it?" was Ara's conclusion.

That was an easy one to answer, Caroline went, "No." Then moved on with the conversation explaining that the handsome and charming cavalry officer wanted to dine with her.

"Oh, well, that 'splains it. He's staying at Wigfall's and and he give that note to Jemima to give to me to give to you, secret like. Mrs Wigfall's keepin' him under lock and key and won't let anyone visit him. Say's he's too sick. 'Mima said her Ma's gone awful strange ever since Mr Orr died: kinda man mad! She's even chasing after your friend Mr Flagg, and let's face it, he ain't no oil painting, bless him. Yep, that old bat's gotten hornier than a billy goat with two diddlers."

"Too sick? I highly doubt that. He wouldn'ta wrote me this letter then," Caroline actually was tending to believe Ara's assessment of the boarding house owner.

"Anyhow thank ya for deliverin' this here letter. It's always good ta see you around. Hope yer enjoyin' your caring for dead people job," Caroline smiled.

"Too sick? I highly doubt that. He wouldn'ta wrote me this letter then," Caroline actually was tending to believe Ara's assessment of the boarding house owner.

"Exactly!" agreed the young undertakeress. "Jemima says he's got nothin' worse than a little limp" (a little limp what? might have been an apposite question, but Caroline instead thanked the messenger).

"Anyhow thank ya for deliverin' this here letter. It's always good ta see you around. Hope yer enjoyin' your caring for dead people job," Caroline smiled.

Arabella shrugged.

"Business is pretty slow at the moment. People just ain't dyin' like they used to. Oh well, cold weather's comin' on, we're hoping a few of the old and weak might up and die of the double-ammonia." she said hopefully.

"How's it goin' here? How's Frances doin' at the piana playin'?" Arabella returned the compliment "Are the fellers used to havin' a blind girl around the place? You know, when she first came to town, some folks was actually scared of her! Like they could actually catch bein' blind off of her, ain't that the silliest thing you ever heard?"

"A little limp? Hardly surprising, he got shot in the thigh rescuing us ladies. Very brave of him. Sadly one of his men died," Caroline frowned at that last memory.

She did ask the girl how she was doing in her new job and got a typical...oddly twisted sort of answer. Like Ara was hoping folks would die.

"How's it goin' here? How's Frances doin' at the piana playin'?" Arabella returned the compliment .

"It's fine. The boss has been rather quiet lately...least no schemes that I know of. He probably ain't gonna confide in me much anymore, he knows how disgusted I was over cheatin' that man in cards and then his wife up and hangin' herself," Caroline sighed.

"As for Frances, she's doin a great job. She don't sing like you did on occasion but she don't miss a note either."

"Are the fellers used to havin' a blind girl around the place? You know, when she first came to town, some folks was actually scared of her! Like they could actually catch bein' blind off of her, ain't that the silliest thing you ever heard?"

Caroline smirked, "Only person who behaved like that was you. I haven't seen anyone else spooked by a blind girl."

"I do have to keep close watch though lest one of the customers start to get a little too fresh with the poor thing. I only need mention that Ralph will gouge their eyeballs out if they so much as harm a hair on Frances head. It's worked so far."

"It's fine. The boss has been rather quiet lately...least no schemes that I know of. He probably ain't gonna confide in me much anymore, he knows how disgusted I was over cheatin' that man in cards and then his wife up and hangin' herself," Caroline sighed.

"Oh Lor', you's sure in a morbid mood today, Cara': first of all jawin' on about that sojer boy what got himself shot, and now about poor Mrs Potee, a dinglin' and a danglin' at the end of that rope, a swingin' and a swayin' with her tongue stickin out all blue coloured and her eyes 'bout poppin' out of her head!" Arabella shook her head "You should try and be more jolly and carefree, like me!" she admonished.

"As for Frances, she's doin a great job. She don't sing like you did on occasion but she don't miss a note either."

Arabella nodded "Yep. There's something about Frances: she's sort of got class, not like me and you."

"Are the fellers used to havin' a blind girl around the place? You know, when she first came to town, some folks was actually scared of her! Like they could actually catch bein' blind off of her, ain't that the silliest thing you ever heard?"

Caroline smirked, "Only person who behaved like that was you. I haven't seen anyone else spooked by a blind girl."

"Huh! ME?!! You're all mixed up. I think it was Bridget what was spooked by her... how silly!" Arabella misremembered.

"I do have to keep close watch though lest one of the customers start to get a little too fresh with the poor thing. I only need mention that Ralph will gouge their eyeballs out if they so much as harm a hair on Frances head. It's worked so far."

"Oh! He would?" asked Arabella with a hint of the sort of jealousy possessed of a middle daughter whose place in a father's affections is replaced by a younger sister. "Well... well he used to be even more protective of me when I was here!" she pouted.

"So, you gonna walk out with the Lootenent, well, limp out? Or are you still seein' Mississippi on the sly?" the black clad, black haired girl asked impishly. "Or both?" she giggled. "You know Brendan's got himself a position at Dolly's Pap's place: if you play your cards right, he could slip you a sausage on the sly!"

Only Arabella could be jolly and carefree whilst talking about the gruesome details of Mrs. Potee's hanging herself. Caroline was not going to engage but moved the conversation on.

As for Ralph being protective of the ladies, on that topic they both could agree. Mess with the ladies and expect to deal with the grim and ...yes, dangerous bartender. Caroline truly appreciated the man for it too.

"So, you gonna walk out with the Lootenent, well, limp out? Or are you still seein' Mississippi on the sly?" the black clad, black haired girl asked impishly. "Or both?" she giggled.

"I was never 'seein' Brendan for yer information. He was stayin' in my room because he needed a place ta stay. We are friends and friends help friends," Caroline countered.

"You know Brendan's got himself a position at Dolly's Pap's place: if you play your cards right, he could slip you a sausage on the sly!"

Now that was news, welcome news!

"He is now, huh? Well good fer the cowpoke. And as for the rest, you have a dirty mind, girl," Caroline said it with a smile though, happy Brendan had actually listened to her.

"I was never 'seein' Brendan for yer information. He was stayin' in my room because he needed a place ta stay. We are friends and friends help friends," Caroline countered.

Arabella treated that spurious claim with the contempt it deserved.

"Well next time you're 'helpin' a friend', move the bed away from the wall: I had to darn near stuff cotton wool in my ears when I was sleeping next door!" she remembered. Oh, she did miss her old bedroom in the Saloon, but times had changed and she'd moved on, she guessed. These days, she slept in Mr Crabbe's old bed, and Frances slept in Bridget's. Both of them gone from her world now, in different ways.

"You know Brendan's got himself a position at Dolly's Pap's place: if you play your cards right, he could slip you a sausage on the sly!"

"He is now, huh? Well good fer the cowpoke. And as for the rest, you have a dirty mind, girl,"

"Huh?" Arabella had meant the sausage part literally - that Caroline just had a dirty mind - in fact, this conversation gave Arabella an idea.

"Say, I'm just running to the stores now, look, I got my little basket with me - why don't you come with me and we can call in on him and say Howdy and have a good look at his meat."

"Well next time you're 'helpin' a friend', move the bed away from the wall: I had to darn near stuff cotton wool in my ears when I was sleeping next door!"

"You are being overly dramatic....as usual.....that was ONE time and one time only. It just happened, we are not in any sort of a romance," Caroline was annoyed at the very idea of that.

That's when Arabella informed her that Brendan had picked up a job.......at the town butcher shop recently opened by that Jewish man from the East. Very welcome news, that!

"Say, I'm just running to the stores now, look, I got my little basket with me - why don't you come with me and we can call in on him and say Howdy and have a good look at his meat."

Caroline made a face, "I do not cook, you know who does at the saloon by now. She also does the shopping for groceries. I have never been in a butcher shop in my life."

She had other plans in mind, she wanted to head over to the Wigfalls and see Lt. Greene.

Suddenly she had an idea, "But I'll make you a deal. I will accompany you there but in return you must promise me that you will not show up while Lt. Greene and I are dining. Like last time."

"Well next time you're 'helpin' a friend', move the bed away from the wall: I had to darn near stuff cotton wool in my ears when I was sleeping next door!"

"You are being overly dramatic....as usual.....that was ONE time and one time only. It just happened, we are not in any sort of a romance," Caroline was annoyed at the very idea of that.

Arabella made a derisive snorting noise more eloquent than any spoken rebuttal of that statement could ever be. 

"Say, I'm just running to the stores now, look, I got my little basket with me - why don't you come with me and we can call in on him and say Howdy and have a good look at his meat." 

Caroline made a face, "I do not cook, you know who does at the saloon by now. She also does the shopping for groceries. I have never been in a butcher shop in my life."

The very thought of Caroline doing any cooking or baking or sewing or mending or cleaning or any other kind of housework for that matter, was enough to make the busy little black clad girl chuckle right there and then on the spot. "He he, don't worry, you won't have to buy anything, I just thought it'd be fun to go an' goggle at him, waving his chopper around." she assured her friend.

Suddenly she had an idea, "But I'll make you a deal. I will accompany you there but in return you must promise me that you will not show up while Lt. Greene and I are dining. Like last time."

"Huh?" Arabella vaguely remembered Caroline raving about her turning up at the hotel during her last engagement with the cute looking Army lieutenant, and leaving a grotty handkerchief behind, even though Arabella herself had been sick abed with brain fever at the time.

Arabella had assumed then that Caroline was just delirious with romance and seeing things, but Jemima had explained to her since, in serious and solemn tones, that what Caroline had seen was something called an 'Astral Projection' of Arabella's near-death soul, and the dirty snot-rag was something called 'an Apport'. 

"Oh sure. I ain't intendin' to show up this time, lest I get the brain fever again, and then I can't help it." Then something very unfortunate happened: she had an idea. "Oooh, oooh, I know, why don't you have a double date, with Brendan and Bridget?! See, Missus Wentworth won't let Bridge out of her sight with anyone unrespectable like you or Mississippi, but she might with the Lootenant."

Even worse was to come: "Ooooh, oooh!! Even better, let's make it a triple date, and me and Dolly can come, too, wouldn't that be fun?!! Hmm, pity Jemima's so dog-gone plain lookin' or we could fix her up with a feller and make it a... er...  Quadruped Date!"

"Oh sure. I ain't intendin' to show up this time, lest I get the brain fever again, and then I can't help it." Then something very unfortunate happened: she had an idea. "Oooh, oooh, I know, why don't you have a double date, with Brendan and Bridget?! See, Missus Wentworth won't let Bridge out of her sight with anyone unrespectable like you or Mississippi, but she might with the Lootenant."

"What? No..." Caroline frowned.

"Ooooh, oooh!! Even better, let's make it a triple date, and me and Dolly can come, too, wouldn't that be fun?!! Hmm, pity Jemima's so dog-gone plain lookin' or we could fix her up with a feller and make it a... er... Quadruped Date!"

"I said NO, absolutely not. You stay out of my plans with Lt. Greene. I want to spend time with him, not the half the fuckin' town taggin' along. No further discussion. Excuse me but I need to go..........I have a life to lead," Caroline declared in an emphatic tone of voice that warned challenging.