Oh, the cleverness of me!
Isiah, Weedy and Josh made their way inside. Finding no one there he assumed they were out back and she was finishing up with her bath. "You boys stay here in the kitchen, Addy's out back finishing up with her bath." He told them, not wanting either of them to slip out there by mistake and startle the women.
"Here, let's get this table set." Isiah glanced around the kitchen. This definitely wasn't somewhere that he knew his way around, nor was he comfortable, but his mother and late wife had taught him enough that he could get by. He grabbed the plates and handed them down to Weedy and Josh.
"These'll go on the table." He said to them and started thinking that he wished he had time to go into town to get Addy's some of that pie he knew she loved so much.
"We don't have time now but maybe later you two can go into town and get Addy some pie at that restaurant that she likes so much." He knew Weedy would know just what she'd want and where to go and Josh could help him. That would give Isiah some time to talk to his sister, see how she really was.
There was an urgent knock on the front door followed by the sound of someone boldly letting themselves into the house, a man's voice - a well spoken one, too - no hobbledehoy this - grew loud as it approached the kitchen, which was the hub and hearth of this household.
"Miss Chappel! Miss Chappel? Miss Chappel, are you there!" it called, in quite a state of agitation. "Miss Chappel, I have just heard... oh!" The tall, spindly figure of Mr. F. Falmer Browne, often inappropriately labelled The Professor by the denizens of Kalispell, due to his reclusive habits and odd agricultural and geological enthusiasms and erudite studies, skidded to a halt at the threshold of the kitchen proper.
The sight of Isiah seemed to puzzle him enough for the man to screw up his eyes and stoop forward to make sure he wasn't seeing what he hoped he wasn't seeing.
He looked relieved. It wasn't his rival in love, the odious Ryker, returned! But there was always the worry that this might be some new paramour, again, younger and more attractive than himself!
"Oh, how do you do? I am Miss Chappel's next door neighbour, Falmer Brown. I have just been appraised of the most execrable news of that fair lady's incarceration by the savages of the plain! Er, you are...?"
Oh, the cleverness of me!
As he and the boys prepared the table for dinner, waiting on the ladies Isiah heard the ruckus at the door and being on edge, after everything that had happened he rushed to go and see what it was, pushing the boys behind him and nearly running into the gentleman as they rounded the kitchen door corner at the same time. Isiah reached forward and steadied the man that he nearly knocked down, seeing immediately that he meant no harm.
"Sorry about that." He stepped back as Mr. Brown introduced himself and gave the reason for his visit and rush into the house. Isiah was happy that Addy had neighbors concerned over her well-being.
"I'm Isiah Chappel." He extended his hand to greet the man. "Addy's brother. Just arrived about a week or so ago." He quickly let the gentleman know of his sister's well being. "And Addy is just fine. Physically at least." He had no idea what kind of mental toll this might take on her. She was tough though and he knew she's bounce back. "Mighty kind of ya to come and check on her." He said with a nod of his head.
"I'm Isiah Chappel." He extended his hand to greet the man. "Addy's brother. Just arrived about a week or so ago." He quickly let the gentleman know of his sister's well being.
Browne's face was a picture of worry: he had been away collecting geological samples for a week and knew nothing of Addy's long lost brother coming to live with her. Had her brother been called here because of some family tragedy? Had Addy not escaped totally unscathed from her savage captors?
Chronologically, it didn't make logical sense, but the older man couldn't help but feel disquiet over the brother's presence.
On the other hand... at least it wasn't a new boyfriend, popped up in the morning dew like a mushroom to replace Jay Ryker.
"And Addy is just fine. Physically at least." He had no idea what kind of mental toll this might take on her. She was tough though and he knew she's bounce back.
Well, that was a relief! And that relief showed on Falmer Browne's features.
"Mighty kind of ya to come and check on her." He said with a nod of his head.
"Oh, think nothing of it, my dear Mr Chappel" Browne shook his head in turn. "Your sister is very, very dear to me, I mean, to all of us, the whole community!" he corrected himself, not wanting to sound too creepy.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
Regardless of the bath being a little on the cool side, Addy sank gratefully into the water with a sigh. It was always good to clean up after a hard day, but this had been more than one day, and 'hard' was hardly a way to describe it.
"Thank ya, Miss Jemima," she murmured as the warm water was added, then she breathed in the scent of the fancy soap and smiled. "I think this just might be too good fer me!" Working up a good lather, she soaped up her hair, then her body before rinsing off and standing.
""Why'd that Mr Ryker leave, is he coming back?"
Something Addy had been pondering on for a time now, and something she didn't have a good answer to. "I don't reckon we'll be seein' him again." She shrugged, disappointed that she'd made a mistake, but there was no reason to pine over it. "I don't have no misgivin's that he loves me, nor that he's fond'a Weedy, but I reckon some gents just can't handle bein' commited or bein' in one place."
She shrugged again, slipping her nightshirt over her head, then combing her fingers through her wet hair. "I'm done with love, got my brother here, an' nephew, an' I got Weedy, that's enough. Ain't worth th' fuss."
Grinning, she patted Jemima on the arm. "Let's go get some'a them good vittles ya made!" And with that, she marched, unabashed, into the house!
Weedy showed Isiah where all the tack went, and using an upturned crate, he helped brush out the horses, letting Josh stand with him so he could pitch in.
Finally, they headed back to the house, and there was a little skip in Weedy's step...it had been a long day, but he was so happy that Addy was back, and was all right. And then Uncle Isiah suggested pie from the Lickskillet, and that made it all better!
He started helping with the dishes, but then Professor Brown came in, and Weedy ran over to him. "Professor!" He hugged the man tightly, then, even though introductions had been made, he made them again.
"This is my Uncle Isiah! And that's Josh, he's my cousin, because Isiah is Miz Addy's brother, and Josh is his son!" There, now the Professor had all the details!
"Uncle Isiah, this is Professor Brown, he lives behind us, where Miss Jemima does. He has spiders and crickets and snakes and gophers..." Well, he did have a gopher!
Oh, the cleverness of me!
Isiah smiled warmly at Mr. Brown as he spoke about his sister so kindly and chuckled a bit as Weedy made the 2nd round of introductions. It warmed his heart him calling him Uncle like that. The kid sure had a way of making him feel most welcome.
"Thanks, Weedy." He could tell that Mr. Brown must be a nice man or Weedy wouldn't have been so happy to see him. "We are all relieved that Addy and the other young lady escaped mostly unharmed. She's got quite the shiner but other'n that think she's gonna be just fine." When Weedy said he lived where Jemima does he figured the two must be related?...or maybe she worked for Mr. Brown.
"Jemima's in the back now helping Addy get cleaned up." He stepped to the side showing where they were in the process of setting the table and the nice pie that Jemima brought over. "Won'tcha stay fer dinner?" He asked. "There's plenty. Jemima brought over a steak pie." He smiled as Josh came over from setting the last plate in it's place, standing beside his Pa he waved at the gentlemen and in a small voice "Hi." He said as he hid a bit behind his father's leg, always shy at first around new folks.
"Uncle Isiah, this is Professor Brown, he lives behind us, where Miss Jemima does. He has spiders and crickets and snakes and gophers..." Well, he did have a gopher!
"Thanks, Weedy." He could tell that Mr. Brown must be a nice man or Weedy wouldn't have been so happy to see him.
Falmer Brown chortled indulgently. "I must admit, Mr Chappel, that Master James is correct in his resume of my small collection of local fauna, but Miss Wigfall is only a peripatetic visitor; I fear no cage could quite contain her; she is a most remarkably strong young woman." he let Isiah know.
He could hardly have an unmarried young woman living under the same roof as himself unchaperoned, even if she was rather too unattractive for anyone to believe that there could be any impropriety involved.
"Jemima's in the back now helping Addy get cleaned up." He stepped to the side showing where they were in the process of setting the table and the nice pie that Jemima brought over. "Won'tcha stay fer dinner?" He asked.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to deprive you of, er, ...." He demurred politely although, to be fair, the ingredients in the pie had originally been intended for his tummy!
"There's plenty. Jemima brought over a steak pie." He smiled as Josh came over from setting the last plate in it's place, standing beside his Pa he waved at the gentlemen and in a small voice "Hi." He said as he hid a bit behind his father's leg, always shy at first around new folks.
"Oh, well, if you insist!" Browne hadn't been hard to convince to stay, that was for sure.
"And who is this young gentleman?" he asked, bending down and smiling benignly at Josh.
"THERE'S SOMEBODY AT THE DOOR!!!"
"Why'd that Mr Ryker leave, is he coming back?"
"I don't reckon we'll be seein' him again." She shrugged, disappointed that she'd made a mistake, but there was no reason to pine over it. "I don't have no misgivin's that he loves me, nor that he's fond'a Weedy, but I reckon some gents just can't handle bein' committed or bein' in one place."
Jemima nodded - not to indicate that she knew this already, but to indicate her understanding and comprehension, that she was learning from the more experienced woman. She'd have to make sure she didn't lose her man for those reasons.
Jemima heard the front door and a familiar voice out front.
"Professor Brown's here." she said in her flat nasal tone. "Pity he isn't twenty years younger. He's rich as anything, he's clever and he's nice. Gentlemanly like. I guess you know he likes you. I mean, really likes you." she thought a second, and then added. "But a young woman needs a young man. Satisfy her needs." she gave her opinion bluntly.
She shrugged again, slipping her nightshirt over her head, then combing her fingers through her wet hair. "I'm done with love, got my brother here, an' nephew, an' I got Weedy, that's enough. Ain't worth th' fuss."
Jemima shook her head. "That's all right for you. You've known love. I never have." she concluded.
Grinning, she patted Jemima on the arm. "Let's go get some'a them good vittles ya made!" And with that, she marched, unabashed, into the house!
The hardworking, lovelorn, frowsy-looking girl nodded sadly and followed Addy through.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
While she had heard the comment about F. Falmer being fond of her, it hadn't quite registered in her head that said F Famler was actually in her house...after all, he'd been gone for a few days, and she wasn't sure when he'd be back.
So, she was a bit startled when she walked in on him, along with her brother and the boys. "Oh! It's Sir Browne Bear! Didn't 'spect ta see ya here!" She grinned, aware that she wasn't properly attired for company, but then, Addy was no stranger to non-conventional attire, and besides, it wasn't as if there was anything inordinately revealing in the linen dressing gown.
"Are ya gonna join us?" Well, Weedy had already set an extra place on the table, so that was settled! "I'm starvin', let's eat!"