Mature Content: No
With: Evelyn Hardy and others...
When: Thursday 24 August 1876
Time of Day: Morning
Evelyn stepped out of the hotel and looked up and down the street. Nothing had changed since her arrival yesterday and she could swear that it was still the same people walking around. Everyone was almost practically dressed the same way. No-one in particular stood out to her and that was the reason why she had chosen a plain and modest dark green dress. If she had worn her usual garb, she would have gotten a lot of attention, which was something she didn't want...yet.
Even though her name was a familiar, it was rare that somebody recognised her at first glance as most people were used to seeing her from a distance. It usually took the mention of her name for her to get the reaction that would be expected when one met a famous actress. She smiled a little as she remembered some of those times.
However, there would be time for that sort of thing later. Today, she was on scouting mission to find out what sort of town she was going to be stuck in for the next two months as she and her troop perform at Ben's Simons' theatre, which apparently was the only one in town. Judging by the crowd in the street, she wondered what had gotten into Ben in the first place, as she surmised that there probably wouldn't be enough people to fill half of the seats.
Grimacing, she thought about why she was here at all. It was bad luck that she happened to be in Helena at the same time, Ben was in town looking for some performers to appear in his theatre. He hadn't forgetten the debt she owed him and he had come calling to collect it. She wished she hadn't given her word all those years that he could have whatever he wanted as a repayment. The other thing, she hadn't expected was that he still had that letter and contract, that she thought had been destroyed.
Heaving a heavy sigh, she acknowledged that she couldn't blame the man. After all, he was a gambler and they always had a way out or in, as it was in this case. Anyways, she would have time to try and get out of her obligation to Ben later this morning when she went to inspect the theatre with the rest of her troop. Now, she was up for some exploring to find out what sort of one-horse town this really was.
A young man, who had come out of the hotel shortly after Evelyn, ran up to her breathlessly.
"Miss Hardy? Miss Evelyn Hardy, the actress?" he panted, he was gripping a note tablet and pencil, probably an autograph hunter!
On learning that the beautiful lady was indeed the woman he sought, Raymond Matthews handed her a folded piece of paper. "Telegram, Miss!" he beamed. He had been to the hotel to deliver it, but they had told him that she had just walked out and given the lad a description of the glamourous stranger in town, so he could find her.
"Sign here, please!"
He knew she was an actress because the telegraph operator who had translated the wire, Hector Wigfall, had told him so! Of course, the contents of Western Union telegrams were completely secret and sacrosanct, so Hector had only told him that it was a telegram for Miss Evelyn Hardy, care of the Regis Hotel, and that she was an actress and that the telegram said "Good luck in Kalispell, Eve, the worst dead and alive hole I ever visited - regards Ted." and that when he checked with Operator 46 in Helena, he'd tapped back that the sender was the impresario Ted Cassidy and that she was actually a very famous star of the stage and that she must be in a half-forgotten place like Kalispell for personal reasons because she would never bother appearing in a play there.
But apart form that, Raymond was completely in the dark about who this mysterious woman was.
"Are you going to be in a play here Miss Hardy?" Ray asked plaintively. Not that he was interested in such things really, but he wanted to be able to take some gossip back to the telegraph office: the boys there were bound to pump him for some news, especially where there was a glamourous young(-ish) actress involved.
"Miss Hardy? Miss Evelyn Hardy, the actress?" he panted, he was gripping a note tablet and pencil, probably an autograph hunter!
Evelyn turned to see where the voice was coming from. It was some kid waving a piece of paper and a pencil. He had called out her name loud enough that anybody nearby would have heard it. Well, so much for being able to check out the town icognito.
"Yes, that's me."
On learning that the beautiful lady was indeed the woman he sought, Raymond Matthews handed her a folded piece of paper. "Telegram, Miss!" he beamed. He had been to the hotel to deliver it, but they had told him that she had just walked out and given the lad a description of the glamourous stranger in town, so he could find her.
"Sign here, please!"
Telegram? Who on earth would be trying to reach her out here?
Taking the telegram from the boy, she read it and half-smiled. It was from Ted Cassidy, a friend and some time leading man. There was a time she had contemplated getting involved with him on a romantic level but decided against. If she was to keep her career going, she needed men like Ted. A bad breakup to any affairs she had with her leading men would only complicate things and possibly make it more difficult to secure roles in the future.
"Are you going to be in a play here Miss Hardy?" Ray asked plaintively.
Knowing that it was important to maintain a good reputation with the ticket-buying public, she nodded, "Yes, I'm planning to perform in a few plays at The White Rose Theater until the end of October."
Despite the import of the message, the telegram seemed to cheer the graceful but disgruntled looking lady momentarily.
"Are you going to be in a play here Miss Hardy?" Ray asked plaintively.
Knowing that it was important to maintain a good reputation with the ticket-buying public, she nodded, "Yes, I'm planning to perform in a few plays at The White Rose Theater until the end of October."
"Ooh!" If Raymond sounded impressed, it was because he was: big city folk hardly stayed around in this dead-and-alive hole for too long. "What plays do you think you'll be presenting Miss Hardy?" he asked, surreptitiously moving to a blank receipt form and readying his pencil to make notes. "Are they... whatdya call 'um? Tragedies or comedies?" he asked.
"Oh, and who else will be in the plays? or is it just you... er, reciting?!" He impressed himself with his repertory of theatrical terminology: like most folk who grew up round here, he'd never even been to a play. Hell, even the girl he worked with at the funeral parlour who described herself as "a resting actress" hadn't seen a play, let alone been in one.
"Oh, and one last thing..." he was sounding like a reporter now, in fact, he might even hurry over to Mr McVey at the newspaper after this and tell him of this luminary who had descended from the heavens to grace the dusty streets of Kali' "... is there music and singing in these plays, like an Opera?"
Questions, questions, questions!
"Ooh!" If Raymond sounded impressed, it was because he was: big city folk hardly stayed around in this dead-and-alive hole for too long. "What plays do you think you'll be presenting Miss Hardy?" he asked, surreptitiously moving to a blank receipt form and readying his pencil to make notes. "Are they... whatdya call 'um? Tragedies or comedies?" he asked.
Part of her wanted to say tragedies because it was tragic that she had to be here in the first place but she didn't. "Mainly comedies and one or two dramas," she replied.
"Oh, and who else will be in the plays? or is it just you... er, reciting?!"
"I've bought my acting company along, so they will be performing alongside of me."
"Oh, and one last thing...is there music and singing in these plays, like an Opera?"
Eve frowned and wondered if the boy was also working for the local newspaper. Most of the plays they would be performing would be well-known ones...actually she wasn't sure how many people in a backwater place like this would have heard of the plays she had chosen. However, the plays were ones her company were familiar with having performed them on several occasions, so maybe the people here could finally catch up with the rest of the world.
Smiling, she answered, "Why don't you come along and find out. I believe tickets are already on sale. Just go to the theatre and buy them there."
"Oh, and who else will be in the plays? or is it just you... er, reciting?!"
"I've bought my acting company along, so they will be performing alongside of me."
An 'acting company'!? Ray was somewhat staggered. He wasn't sure how many people constituted a company (wasn't a company in the army about a 100 men or something like that?) but it sure sounded impressive. Miss Hardy was somehow suddenly elevated from the status of 'fascinating and exotic bauble' to 'Important General of an Invading Army' and Raymond had the urge to salute her. Still, he kept his head and carried on with his questions.
"Oh, and one last thing...is there music and singing in these plays, like an Opera?"
Smiling, she answered, "Why don't you come along and find out. I believe tickets are already on sale. Just go to the theatre and buy them there."
"I'll be sure to do that Miss Hardy!" he nodded, like a little lapdog. "Say, you've been mighty swell answering all of my silly questions, is there anything I can do for you in return: do you need any directions around town or can I fetch anything for you?" he asked, goggle eyed at this Madonna from the skies. To be honest, Raymond had never given much thought to girls before; they were usually just in the way: or annoying and spiteful like his sister. He worked with Arabella Mudd, but she wasn't like a real girl, she was more like another good-old-boy, but in a dress.
This lady though, Miss Hardy or, he gulped... Evelyn! Why, despite her slightly snappy manner, or maybe because of it, there was something about her that made him come over all sorta like a slobbering, devoted hound dog.
Somehow, he didn't want to leave her side. Couldn't leave her side. Ever!
Oh oh!
The first part of the journey is often the hardest.
"Hey, Ray!"
"Been looking everywhere for you. Hector said you were out delivering a telegram," he said quickly, not bothering to notice who his friend was with.
After the Whitefish disaster, Dobie Jefferson and his mother had moved into Kalispell. Thankfully, his mother Maureen had found work after a few months, when Mr. Wentworth moved into town. Dobie was grateful that the new job had given Ma some purpose, especially considering how bad it had been. His Pa and two older sisters had been killed, a thought which briefly made him sad. It was still hard to believe that they were gone but both he and Ma were determined to carry on. Mr. Wentworth was also good enough that he even gave him a job looking after the horses and doing odd jobs around the house. Ma had explained to Mr. Wentworth that she wanted him to go to school for one more year...something he was not looking forward to. Most of the boys his age like Ray, had real jobs and he wished he could have one too.
Realising that Ray wasn't alone, he turned to see who he was talking to. His eyes opened wide when he saw how pretty the lady was but he soon concluded that she was probably over thirty and thus too old for the likes of him. Still, there was nothing wrong with admiring her.
Looking at Ray, he frowned. Even though they had only been friends for about six months, Dobie noticed that there was something peculiar about him but he couldn't work out what it was. It would probably come to him eventually. Right now, he had something more important to do.
"Ray, I heard the fish are still biting down at Stillwater. There's even a rumour that ol' Henry is still waiting to be caught. How about we head down there on Saturday?"
"Hey, Ray!"
Young Master Matthews was so agog at the beautiful actress that he didn't even hear his friend call. Or rather, he was vaguely aware of it, but it was drowned out by that chorus of Angels that was singing so loudly in his earhole as he gazed upon the equally angelic face of Miss Hardy.
"Been looking everywhere for you. Hector said you were out delivering a telegram," he said quickly, not bothering to notice who his friend was with.
"Uh?" Raymond said turning, and then a vacant "Oh.... Howdy Dobie."
"Ray, I heard the fish are still biting down at Stillwater. There's even a rumour that ol' Henry is still waiting to be caught. How about we head down there on Saturday?"
"Fish?" Raymond asked absently, and then turned back, but Miss Hardy was already off down the street. He looked back at his friend and then at Miss Hardy, smaller and more distant again, until she disappeared into the White Rose. He pushed back his hat and wiped his brow, before looking at the other lad and breaking the bad news.
"I'm sorry Dobie old man, Old Henry's gonna have to wait. It's happened... Life's biggest moment. I'm in love!" he told the other teenager seriously.
The first part of the journey is often the hardest.
"In love?"
As he turned to see what Ray was looking at, Dobie frowned. He knew that it wasn't the theatre as the building was nothing special. Mr. Simons had paid him to help paint the outside walls but it was still white. Surely it couldn't be that woman he was talking to?
Shaking his head in disbelief, Dobie looked at Ray again and he could see that he was serious. Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, he sighed, "Look, maybe it was something you ate. You can't be in love. My ma told that falling in love took some time. Besides that woman is almost old enough to be our mother."
"Go ahead and hang me, it was worth it!"
"In love?"
Ray nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so, old man." he said bravely, just like he had a short time before when he had reported the death of his mother to his friend.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Dobie looked at Ray again and he could see that he was serious. Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, he sighed, "Look, maybe it was something you ate."
"Well, I do feel kinda funny in my tummy! Kinda like butterflies in there." Raymond admitted, rubbing his stomach. "D'ya think it might be indigestion?"
"You can't be in love. My ma told that falling in love took some time. Besides that woman is almost old enough to be our mother."
"Oh no, she's just a little older than us: that's just our perspective! She's, what? 21?" (Miss Hardy was 30 if she was a day!) "... and that seems a big difference from 16. But when I'm 26, she'll be 31 and that's not such a gap, is it? Gee, by the time I'm a hundred, we'll practically be the same age!" he expounded with tortuous logic. "And look Dobes, we need women of experience to teach us.... well, stuff. These little girls around here don't know nuthin'!"
"What are you two up to?! NO GOOD, I'll be bound!"
A shrill voice from behind startled Ray as he extoled the talents of Miss Hardy, in fact he nearly jumped out of his pants! It was that of his sister, who always had the knack of sneaking up behind him unseen at the worst possible moments (and we mean the worst!)
"Agghhh! Nuthin!!" shot back a rattled Raymond.
"Well, what are you talking about?!" Zenobia demanded.
"Nuthin!" relied Raymond defensively.
"Well, if you're both doing nothing and talking about nothing, you can come and help me get the barber shop ready. He's left it like a pigsty!" she roundly declared, 'he' being the Matthews' dissolute father.
"And what's wrong with you, Dobie Jefferson? Cat got your tongue?!" she demanded, turning her search-light gaze toward her brother's friend.