"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
"Oh, well, now, I'm just tryin' ta keep up with a ten year old sprout!" Addy declared with a laugh at Miss Orr's praise. "I knowed a few letters already, an' Miss Orr has th' patience of a saint." She grinned. "Just no appreciation'a horses."
"Oh, I think that they are beautiful animals." Anæsthesia corrected, quickly, "I'm just a little scared of them."
Isiah smiled some at them both. "Well perhaps ya'll could teach each other a thing or two. Horses really are great." He said to Anæsthesia agreeing with his sister. "You should give them a chance." He said to the girl.
The fancy blonde girl nodded, but then immediately jumped when one of the stable whinnied suddenly in her stall.
"Are you visiting for some time, Mr Chappel?" Anæsthesia asked politely: for among her many, if rather slight, talents, was a suitable mastery of small-talk. Anæsthesia recovered quickly and asked, politely, as to the duration of her 'pupil's' brother's stay in Kalispell.
"Well." He answered her. "Pretty sure I'm here to stay. So yes, I'd say I'm here to visit for quite some time."
Did that mean he was moving here permanently, or just a long visit; and furthermore, she had to ask herself, why did she care? She knew why: Mr Chappel was big, strong and handsome, he had everything a woman could want in a man, physically. Also, the sad story of him being a widower with a small child to look after made him an attractive object of sympathy in a well bred young woman's eyes. But he was, well, to put it kindly, a little rough around the edges and possibly in want of prospects.
If he was just passing through, well, she would enjoy the scenery and then forget him. If he was to be a more permanent fixture around the town, then he might be worth investing some time in: getting to know him and...well, yes, helping him to change for the better, polish him up like the diamond in the rough he seemed to be. Miss Orr was good like that, always willing to help others strive for the social perfection that she herself had achieved in her eighteen years. The thought that her slightly snobby personality could do with a few renovations here and there never occurred to her, of course.
"And whereabouts do you hail from, Mr. Chappel?" she continued her ever-so polite interrogation.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"Don't hurt none ta have a good respect fer horses," Addy pointed out, "an' th' more ya get ta know their ways, th' more ya get comfortable with 'em."
As she was speaking, she slipped a halter on Arabesque and led her out of the stall, into the breezeway of the barn. The mare was smaller than the work horses, and as gentle as they came, so while Miss Anæsthesia was grilling her brother, Addy looked at her young nephew.
"So, Mr. Josh, would ya like ta sit on Arabesque, maybe ride around a bit?" Certainly, if the little boy was easy with the horse, that would put Anæsthesia at ease.
Isiah of course had no idea that Miss Orr was analyzing his answer only the way a woman would. She couldn't just take it for it's word. He was here to stay. Yes, a permanent fixture as she was thinking.
He walked over and rubbed Arabesque on the side as his sister got her out.
"And whereabouts do you hail from, Mr. Chappel?" she continued her ever-so polite interrogation.
"Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, ma'm. Ever heard of it?" He asked as he helped the steady the horse, it seemed Josh did indeed want to take a ride on her. He had grown up around horses of course and was quite fond of them and not scared one bit to go on a ride. It would indeed be a good way to show the young girl that the gentle creatures were nothing to be afraid of."
Josh held his hands up towards his Aunt and nodded his head excitetedly. "Yes'm! I'd love to ride. And later you can ride my horse if you want to, Aunt Addy!" He thought it only fair that if she let him ride her horse then he should offer to let her ride his!
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
"And whereabouts do you hail from, Mr. Chappel?" she continued her ever-so polite interrogation.
"Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, ma'm. Ever heard of it?" He asked as he helped the steady the horse, it seemed Josh did indeed want to take a ride on her.
It sounded like a hick town, but Anæsthesia bravely made a show of frowning, as if trying to remember the name of the place but not quite being able to recall it. "Is it famous for anything?" she asked, and then, as if to illustrate what 'being famous' meant, she elucidated by giving a few famous facts about her own home town. "For instance, Kalispell is famous for Flathead Lake, which is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi; the town was founded by Ishmael Thornton in 1808, he was the geologist who accompanied Lewis and Clark in their famous expedition; and last and certainly not least, Kalispell was the birthplace of the Reverend John Spooner." she said rather proudly.
Meanwhile, Addy was helping little Josh up onto a horse. Anæsthesia stood well back: the sight of the tiny boy on the beast's back made it look even bigger and more terrifying than ever!
Josh held his hands up towards his Aunt and nodded his head excitetedly. "Yes'm! I'd love to ride. And later you can ride my horse if you want to, Aunt Addy!" He thought it only fair that if she let him ride her horse then he should offer to let her ride his!
Anæsthesia shuddered as the boy sat on the enormous quadruped: she certainly had to admire his guts. In fact, she expected to see his guts any minute when the monster threw him off and trampled him into the stable floor with its iron shod devil-hooves.
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
"And whereabouts do you hail from, Mr. Chappel?" she continued her ever-so polite interrogation.
"Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, ma'm. Ever heard of it?" He asked as he helped the steady the horse, it seemed Josh did indeed want to take a ride on her.
It sounded like a hick town, but Anæsthesia bravely made a show of frowning, as if trying to remember the name of the place but not quite being able to recall it. "Is it famous for anything?" she asked, and then, as if to illustrate what 'being famous' meant, she elucidated by giving a few famous facts about her own home town. "For instance, Kalispell is famous for Flathead Lake, which is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi; the town was founded by Ishmael Thornton in 1808, he was the geologist who accompanied Lewis and Clark in their famous expedition; and last and certainly not least, Kalispell was the birthplace of the Reverend John Spooner." she said rather proudly.
Meanwhile, Addy was helping little Josh up onto a horse. Anæsthesia stood well back: the sight of the tiny boy on the beast's back made it look even bigger and more terrifying than ever!
Josh held his hands up towards his Aunt and nodded his head excitetedly. "Yes'm! I'd love to ride. And later you can ride my horse if you want to, Aunt Addy!" He thought it only fair that if she let him ride her horse then he should offer to let her ride his!
Anæsthesia shuddered as the boy sat on the enormous quadruped: she certainly had to admire his guts. In fact, she expected to see his guts any minute when the monster threw him off and trampled him into the stable floor with its iron shod devil-hooves.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"Is Pigeon Forge famous?" Addy chuckled as she grasped Josh and swung him up onto the horse's bare back. "It's famous fer th' Chappel's a' course! Best gol-dernedest mule-skinners in all'a th' United States!" What could be better? Well...
"It's where th' Treaty'a Dumplin Crick was signed with th' Cherokee, an' it's where Wear decided where ta put Ware Fort, where it's still where Wear put it!"
Grinning proudly, Addy started to walk around the spacious barn interior, followed by her horse and, by default, Josh.
Isiah sure couldn't think of a thing that Pigeon Forge was famous for, that until Addy piped up and he chuckled at her reasons for it being famous.
Josh held tight to the horse and turned and looked over his shoulder at Ms. Orr and piped up. "And my Ma's apple pie had ta be the best in all tha world!" As the horse turned and he could see the girl better he went on. "We had the biggest apple tree ya ever did see right in our backyard! It has the bestest apples! And that's where Ma go 'em all and I always helped her pick 'em....well I picked up the ones that fell to tha ground!"
Isiah looked at his sister, he knew she'd know that tree real well. Since he and his late wife had been living on the same land they'd grown up on the tree was real familiar. "It's that tree Pa told you not to climb that time. The one you fell out of and nearly broke yer neck!" He said with a laugh....able to laugh about it now since of course she was well and good!
He looked at Ms. Orr. "That lake sounds mighty nice. I'm guessin' there's some good fishin' to be had there? I can nearly taste the trout right now!" Isiah loved fishin' and he s'possed it had been forever since he and Addy had done just that!
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
Josh held tight to the horse and turned and looked over his shoulder at Ms. Orr and piped up. "And my Ma's apple pie had ta be the best in all tha world!" As the horse turned and he could see the girl better he went on. "We had the biggest apple tree ya ever did see right in our backyard! It has the bestest apples! And that's where Ma go 'em all and I always helped her pick 'em....well I picked up the ones that fell to tha ground!"
Josh could well be forgiven for thinking that Miss Orr was terrified of apples by the look on her face as he sat atop the large horse, but it was his mount she was scared of, not the subject of his peroration. She did manage to squeak out a faint "Sounds delicious!" as she jumped back: the enormous quadruped had scarily swished its tail.
Isiah looked at his sister, he knew she'd know that tree real well. Since he and his late wife had been living on the same land they'd grown up on the tree was real familiar. "It's that tree Pa told you not to climb that time. The one you fell out of and nearly broke yer neck!" He said with a laugh....able to laugh about it now since of course she was well and good!
"Oooh, be careful!" Anæsthesia warned, about twenty years too late. She had never climbed a tree as a child, but she'd certainly snitched on a good number of other kids who had - often for the purpose of stealing apples. Her mother had been the local schoolmarm, so she had a direct line to authority, and a youthful Jemima Wigfall and Jacob Lutz had both felt the results of her tell-tale-tittery on the palms of their hands. She had always been careful not to tell on her fellow school-yard bully, Hector Wigfall, though.
He looked at Ms. Orr. "That lake sounds mighty nice. I'm guessin' there's some good fishin' to be had there? I can nearly taste the trout right now!" Isiah loved fishin' and he s'possed it had been forever since he and Addy had done just that!
"Oh, I wouldn't know!" shuddered Anæsthesia "Horrible slimy things." She really was a girly-girl. "Some of the more common children used to go swimming in there, I never did." It would have needed a Victorian bathing machine on wheels to be backed into the lake to have enticed the prissy Miss Orr to dip even her smallest dainty pinky toe into the chilly waters.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"Sounds ta me like ya been missin' out on th' things that make life worth livin'," Addy observed. It seemed sort of sad to be so restricted in your life that you got no joy out of it, and were afraid of everything in your path. But all they could do was offer the girl opportunities, and to show her she needn't be afraid.
"Done broke m' arm fallin' outta that tree." Addy pulled up her sleeve to show a small scar. "Got waited on hand an' foot fer nearly a week!" Of course, with all those brothers, there'd been a good bit of teasing, too, although Isiah had made sure that she had what she needed.
"Nothin' like a swim in a nice, cool lake on a hot day, then some lemonade. An' fish fresh-cooked outta th' lake." She chuckled. "Best thing there is!"
It sounded something awful to Isiah to not even have a desire to want to swim in the lake, climb tree, go fishing.....sleep under the stars at night by said lake!
Addy knew that Isiah agreed with her, that her description of the best day was also his.
"Oh Miss Orr!.....I already know the answer, that you've never even slept under the stars. In all of God's creation there ain't nothing more beautiful than to stretch out by the lake after a long day and stare up at His creation." It was one of Isiah's favorite things to do.
"You stick with us Chappell's and we'll show you a good time." He motioned between the four of them, himself, Addy, Weedy and Josh. He chuckled at the words knowing good and well there won't know way they were getting this dainty young lady behind a fishing pole and sleeping on a dirt ground.