"Thanks mister, usually I have to ask for a fella to buy me a drink. I appreciate it, yer a gentleman," Caroline was impressed while Ralph started to get her that drink. Her usual.
Just then up popped Arabella to chat....no she did not chat....speechify the poor man. Caroline knew she might as just stand there and sip on her drink. As usual Arabella was a mix of useful and insulting, even offensive.
Actually the fellow took all that Ara threw it up in pretty good stride then produced a telegram for them to take a look at. Caroline reached out for it first before Ara could snatch it away. And Ralph, he had made no attempt to reach for it.
"I can read," Caroline informed the man and turned to hold it such that Arabella could not easily make a try for it.
"Don't know where this Shade jasper is, nobody's seen him around for quite awhile including some of his own ranch hands, they've said as much to me over drinks. And as for trouble, well yeah, Lost Lake and Evergreen have been feuding since I arrived and even before so as I've heard," Caroline then handed it back to the man.
"You could go talk to this Carlton woman or you could ride on out to the Lost Lake place. Maybe Cantrell will be there," was her advice.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"It's rude to snatch!" complained Arabella as Caroline snatched the telegram before she could snatch it.
"I can read," Caroline informed the man and turned to hold it such that Arabella could not easily make a try for it.
"Well, read it out loud!" whined Arabella, curiosity burning in her soul like a painful torture.
"Don't know where this Shade jasper is, nobody's seen him around for quite awhile including some of his own ranch hands, they've said as much to me over drinks. And as for trouble, well yeah, Lost Lake and Evergreen have been feuding since I arrived and even before so as I've heard," Caroline then handed it back to the man.
"Lemme see!" demanded Arabella, snatching the missive from Ty's hands in turn and holding it up to the light as if looking for a watermark. Then she read it. "Why's he keep tellin' you to stop? Does he want you to come or not?" she asked, but everybody ignored her. Then she took a big sniff of the telegram. "Aha, cheap perfume! A woman's involved in this someplace!" she declared, then frowned and leant over the bar to Caroline and took a sniff in her direction "Oh no, sorry, I think it's just yours I can smell. Tell you what Cara, that stuff you get in the big green cheap bottles might not smell so great, but it sure is parful."
"You could go talk to this Carlton woman or you could ride on out to the Lost Lake place. Maybe Cantrell will be there," was her advice.
"It's Mrs Sarah Carlton-Thornton-Carlton, actually" corrected Arabella primly as she gave the bearded stranger his telegram back "And if'n you want to talk to her, Fuzzy, she's probably over at the Union offices. I'll take you there if you like, when you've had your fill of firewater."
"You know, I offered to write stories for that paper and they turned me down, and yet old McVey give her a job right off. I dunno what she's got what I don't! Well, I do actually. Let's just say she's well upholstered in the bedroom furniture department." she said, a little bitterly.
Posted May 19, 2022
"Well, then, I just might do that, go to the newspaper office an see this lady. You need to know that as far as family, well, my connections ended long ago after my folks passed, so there's likely a passel of Thornton's I don't know out there, and certainly not their wives or young 'uns." Ty responded. The conversation from this young lady went from here to there with little connection to anything. Perfume? "Thank you Ma'am."
So it seemed the best advice was to either get directions and ride out to the place, or go visit with this woman at the newspaper office. What he wanted was that meal and a bed, which he didn't mind paying for.
"Maybe I'll just do that, head on over't this newspaper and meet this woman. Then I'll be for some supper. Been near a year gettin' here, so I believe alla this can wait another day." He looked to the bartender, "You could put a head on this, if you would." And he produced another coin to lay on the bar top.