The slattern held out her gloved hand for Franklin to take.
He didn't.
The slattern took back her gloved hand and adjusted her copper coloured hair with it, hoping the Mundee girl didn't notice her discomfiture; this Fortner feller clearly was a tougher customer than that Mr McVay at the newspaper office had been: he'd slobbered all over her glove when offered it.
Caroline now faced Fortner, "Hey boss, I was just tellin' these here.............hostesses," she almost smirked at that word, "that the StarDust has rules against women solicitin' customers on the premises. Rules me n' Ralph here take seriously."
First he addressed the Rosenkrantz woman.
"Listen. I don't want you in here raising Hell with my staff."
Oh oh, this feller wasn't taken in by her passable good looks and devil-may-care charm, Hettie realised. Time to reel her head in, though she hated to have to do it in front of that pushy Caroline.
"Oh, we didn't mean any ha..." but the boss man cut her off peremptorily.
"We got enough problems with drunken cowpokes. Now I've got some matters to discuss here," he pointed to Caroline and Ralph. "So go sit at that table in the corner there." He indicated a small table against the back wall, partially hidden by the piano. It was seldom occupied.
"Yes Sir." Hettie said meekly and brushed Annie Jo on the arm, "Come on Annie, let's do just as Mister Fortner says." She flicked a glance at Caroline and summoning up what dignity she could, picked up her drink and marched her fat ass over to the table, with Annie and the slightly confused Miller at their heels.
He then turned to Caroline and Ralph.
"We gotta talk," he informed them.
First thing that Fortner sounded good - at first.
"Listen. I don't want you in here raising Hell with my staff."
However, something about it, Caroline didn't like. In order for them to raising hell with Ralph and her, that meant the women had to be present, in the saloon. And that did not sound good. Hettie tried to say something but was cut off.
"We got enough problems with drunken cowpokes. Now I've got some matters to discuss here," he pointed to Caroline and Ralph. "So go sit at that table in the corner there." He indicated a small table against the back wall, partially hidden by the piano. It was seldom occupied.
The hookers were banished to a back table and they went meekly too, a bit surprising considering this Hettie always seemed to have something to say just prior.
"Yes Sir." Hettie said meekly and brushed Annie Jo on the arm, "Come on Annie, let's do just as Mister Fortner says."
"Fine," Annie shrugged and went with Hettie to the directed table. This was all so new to Annie, having just arrived in town, and really wasn't quite sure what all of this was about? She had this feeling she was missing key details.
Hettie flicked a glance at Caroline as she moved, Caroline met the glance with a hard-eyed stare. Something was going on here with their boss wanting this sudden private moment.
Fortner then turned to Caroline and Ralph.
"We gotta talk," he informed them.
"Alright then, fine. Talk about what?" Caroline tensed. If Ralph was more tense he didn't show it but then he almost never did.
"Is there something we don't know about?" she was suspicious.
On their separate table, Hettie had positioned herself so she could watch the look on Mundee's face when Fortner told her the good news, that she and Annie Jo and any other girls they recruited could ply their trade in the Saloon. Miller sat opposite the two whores, looking understandably impatient, and went to say something, but Hettie shushed him.
"Wait until 'goggles' is gone, I don't want her listening in with those big jug ears" she said, indicating the blind girl, Frances Grimes, who had just got up to deposit her penny tips at the bar.
"Oh, don't worry about her" Jimmy corrected the common misapprehension about blind people having supersonic hearing "You know, this one time, I went to the crapper out back, and after I finished, she come in an' I just jammed m'self in the corner and she never heard me or nuthin' and I watched her do the whole thing, and she never 'spected I was there at all. He he he, I saw everything!" he laughed. "An' I had to try not to laugh, cause she was makin' all these little contented sighin' noises, like 'ooooh' and 'ahhh' while she done it." In fact, since then he'd followed her out there a couple times and peeped through the crack. Generally speaking, Jimmy Miller was Kalispell's most successful and accomplished peeping Tom.
Hettie laughed right along with the potential john "Oh, Mr Miller, you really are a... one!"
"Anyway, how about her? How much is it to do her?" he asked Hettie, jerking a thumb at Annie Jo. Mrs Rosenkrantz considered this. Was there something about Mr Miller that made him treat his potential 'conquest' like a lump of meat in a butcher's store; just as a customer would ask the butcher the price of a piece of rump steak, rather than address the item for sale itself. Or was it more something about Annie Jo? Hettie glanced sideways, hmmm, maybe the careworn angel did kinda have 'victim' stamped all over her. Hettie would have to do something about that... i.e. capitalise on it.
She reached under the table and gave Annie Jo's hand a little squeeze, as if to say 'go with me on this if you want a nice well paid first trick'.
"The thing is, Mister Miller, Miss..." shit, what was her surname, didn't matter, she'd make a suitably snooty sounding one up "... Miss Carruthers her isn't a prostitute like me, she is actually the daughter of a senator."
"You don't say!" gasped Miller, looking Annie Jo up and down with new eyes.
Hettie waited to see if the new girl would play along.
"Ain't life just dandy."
The pair of them were told by the saloon owner to go sit at a corner table, like some children being sent to a corner, least the way Annie saw it. Still Hettie cooperated and, for now at least, she was with the local hooker. Annie wasn't so touchy about names it seemed like Hettie was. Annie knew what she was and that was that. Putting on airs changed nothing.
This Miller jasper went with them. He declared with some glee that he'd watched the blind girl in the outhouse do her necessaries and both he and Hettie got a kick out of it all. Annie however made a face.
"That's disgusting!"
Unphased he now focused on her it seemed.
"Anyway, how about her? How much is it to do her?" he asked. Like she wasn't even in the room sitting right next to him? Before she could answer for herself though, Hettie started up. Annie also felt Hettie reach for her hand under the table. For whatever reason?
"The thing is, Mister Miller, Miss..." shit, what was her surname, didn't matter, she'd make a suitably snooty sounding one up "... Miss Carruthers her isn't a prostitute like me, she is actually the daughter of a senator."
"You don't say!" gasped Miller, looking Annie Jo up and down with new eyes.
Annie glared, "She don't know nuthin' bout me. That ain't my name and I sure as hell ain't no senator's daughter."
"As for how much to do me? You are disgusting and I don't work for Hettie here so I decide my own price. And for you, I wouldn't let you do me for all the gold in California. Spyin' on blind girls like that! Some might not think it but I got me standards. So go do Hettie then. But stay the hell away from me!"
That was quite an outburst from the previously mousy gal and both Caroline and Ralph noted it. This sort of thing was exactly why Miss Devereaux didn't allow such 'ladies' to do their business here.
Fortner then turned to Caroline and Ralph.
"We gotta talk," he informed them.
"Alright then, fine. Talk about what?" Caroline tensed. If Ralph was more tense he didn't show it but then he almost never did.
"Is there something we don't know about?" she was suspicious.
Ralph got snagged by a couple of new arrivals, and turned to help them.
"I'll talk to you separately," he said to Ralph, before pointing to Hiram Priest's reserved table. He was not there, so it was a good to have a conversation.
"Let's sit over here," he asked the frosty Caroline.
When they were seated, Fortner crossed his arms across his chest and looked at his prize employee.
"You're not off the farm, so what I'm about to tell you is just business. As it turns out, good business."
He paused before starting.
"The Stardust has joined a venture with the .. ah.. sporting house.. set up behind the church. I'm sure you've heard of it. This is the deal. We supply them with liquor at cost, and we get a percentage of the take. Five percent the first two years, then seven percent the next three years. After that, we can reopen the negotiations. The Judge, Hiram, helped fashion the agreement with their owner. Like I said, it's a good arrangement."
Fortner took a deep breath and continued.
"Those women,.. those minks, aren't supposed to directly ply their trade in this place." He drove an index finger to the top of the table to make his point. They are allowed to enter our place, and conduct themselves like customers. Now, if they get a John on the string, fine. They can lead him to Hell for all I care, but the idea is to lead them to their place and, I don't know, give 'em the Clap."
He tried to end on a positive note.
"Our business will pick up and we'll also get a slice of their business, too."
Hettie was doing her best to up the value of hiring Annie Jo to the apparently dense Miller, but the new girl showed a surprising and disappointing amount of moral fiber about the whole thing.
Annie glared, "She don't know nuthin' bout me. That ain't my name and I sure as hell ain't no senator's daughter."
Honesty?! Ugh.
Hettie rolled her eyes and held her hands helplessly in the air. She had tried to help the girl, and had it shoved back in her face. She let the suddenly loquacious Annie Jo have her rant, up on her high horse.
"As for how much to do me? You are disgusting and I don't work for Hettie here so I decide my own price. And for you, I wouldn't let you do me for all the gold in California. Spyin' on blind girls like that! Some might not think it but I got me standards. So go do Hettie then. But stay the hell away from me!"
"I don't want her, she's fat" objected Miller. Hettie didn't seem to take this too personally, just circled her finger in front of her head and said calmly "Oh, I'm not fat, I've just got a round face."
"Well... I like blondes!" countered the vacuous man.
"Oh well, I got this blonde wig back in my room.... or even..." she was ignoring Annie now and was glancing over to Frances at the bar. She shifted her chair up to Jimmy and took his hand "... I also got this black wig, and a little smock just like that cute little blind girl's wearing, and Mrs Adams can lend me her sun cheaters and I can get a chamber pot and..." she snuggled up close to Miller and started whispering in his ear.
"What, just like... for real?... and even?.... uh huh!... ... TEN DOLLARS?!! Why so much? ... and I only got five on me..." Miller spluttered.
"Oh well, gimme the five and you can owe us the rest on credit..." Hettie said, getting up and draining her glass, more more or less dragging the flustered Miller with her. They walked out at the swing door, but not before Mrs Rosenkrantz seemed to suddenly remember Annie Jo existed and turned, looking down on the careworn girl with the carpet bag.
"I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon" she said, looking the woman up and down "I'd give you a day, two at most, then you'll be scratching at the door. Remember, it's just behind the Funeral Parlour." And with that she was gone, but for the smell of cheap French perfume and a bad taste in the mouth.
[PTO]
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
Frances had deposited her coins and went back to the piano but her foot hit something on the way. Annie's carpet bag.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I do hope I didn't damage anything!" she spoke to whoever was out there in the blackness, and who might be the owner of the unknown object she had just kicked.
"Ain't life just dandy."
Well her rather forceful outburst had at least gotten rid of that disgusting Mr. Miller, if she ever saw him again it would be too soon. Hettie didn't care for it though and left with him, leaving Annie alone, which suited her just fine. But before Hettie up and left, she gave one last parting shot.
"I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon" she said, looking the woman up and down "I'd give you a day, two at most, then you'll be scratching at the door. Remember, it's just behind the Funeral Parlour."
"Yeah, if you say so," Annie just rolled her eyes. Actually the woman was probably right about that. Annie needed to scratch out a living and her options were extremely limited. But for the moment, she was alone to herself. Not having to deal with that pig and Hettie's pushy ways and lies.
Frances had deposited her coins and went back to the piano but her foot hit something on the way. Annie's carpet bag.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I do hope I didn't damage anything!"
Annie saw it was the piano player, a blind girl at that. Rather impressive that, she had to admit.
"You didn't damage anything. It's just my carpet bag, nothing breakable in it. I'll move it under the table for now, sorry," Annie was quick to reply even as she lid the bag deeper against her feet.
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"You didn't damage anything. It's just my carpet bag, nothing breakable in it. I'll move it under the table for now, sorry," Annie was quick to reply even as she lid the bag deeper against her feet.
"Oh that's a relief, I'd feel awful if I'd broken something. It's usually the spittoons I accidentally kick, they keep moving around!" she smiled, showing slightly odd, widely spaced peg teeth. Apart from that and the thick black lensed spectacles she wore, she was quite pretty.
The girl cocked an ear: the other woman and Mister Miller were silent.
"Did your friends leave?" Frances asked "It's funny, we don't get many ladies in here, usually, and today we had two at the same time!" The naïve blind girl didn't realise that Annie and Hettie were neither friends nor, for that matter, what most respectable folk would class as 'ladies'.
"Let's sit over here," her boss asked Caroline.
She did and faced him to hear him out, she was already worried what he would say.
When they were seated, Fortner crossed his arms across his chest.
"You're not off the farm, so what I'm about to tell you is just business. As it turns out, good business."
"Yeah, let's hear it then," Caroline didn't like stalling, this seemed like stalling.
He paused before starting.
"The Stardust has joined a venture with the .. ah.. sporting house.. set up behind the church. I'm sure you've heard of it. This is the deal. We supply them with liquor at cost, and we get a percentage of the take. Five percent the first two years, then seven percent the next three years. After that, we can reopen the negotiations. The Judge, Hiram, helped fashion the agreement with their owner. Like I said, it's a good arrangement."
"Yeah, figures he'd be in on this," Caroline did not like Priest. Nothing good came from the old bastard.
Fortner took a deep breath and continued.
"Those women,.. those minks, aren't supposed to directly ply their trade in this place." He drove an index finger to the top of the table to make his point. "They are allowed to enter our place, and conduct themselves like customers. Now, if they get a John on the string, fine. They can lead him to Hell for all I care, but the idea is to lead them to their place and, I don't know, give 'em the Clap."
"Oh right, they'll behave themselves like fuckin' saints they will," Caroline had just heard that loud outburst from that younger blonde hooker.
He tried to end on a positive note.
"Our business will pick up and we'll also get a slice of their business, too."
"What's wrong with our business? You always say we're doin' just great. So now yer lettin' em sell booze too. Takes away customers from us if they can drink and fuck the hookers all in one place," Caroline countered.
She didn't like this, not a bit. But she only worked here, he was the owner and there wasn't much she could do about it unless she up and left. Up and left where? No, she liked it in Kalispell. She saw little choice but to accept this new 'business decision'. But..........one of these days, Fortner would up and go too far. She didn't want to think about it but it could well happen.
"So...it didn't even occur to you to even ask me n' Ralph, and Messalina our opinion on this? Guess the only one whose opinion counts for anything is good ol' Priest," she grumbled.