"Can't say as I'll visit the house, nor that I would make use of your house call service, though I can see it's benefit to those who would rather remain in the dwelling," Phin said, taking her hand and kissing it. "The best of luck to you and your endeavors. And a pleasant rest of your day."

Phin was not innocent of her visit, he was well aware that she was attempting to enlist his support for the whore house, something he could not provide. He actually had no aversion to what went on behind the closed doors of the house behind the funeral parlor, none at all. It was a service that men would take advantage of, both the single and the married men of the community. And that was none of his affair.

What was troubling was what often happened in such places, fights, even murders had been recorded in such places, and not just of the clientele, but also the women were at risk as well, beatings and worse could and did befall them. It would be a wait-and-see situation with this house. Hopefully, nothing bad would occur, but then, that might be wishful thinking.

He watched as she sashayed out the door and past the window, making her way down the street. He poured himself another cup of coffee and stepped back outside into the fresh morning air, contemplating breakfast.

The door crashed open and Mrs Wigfall, a flurry of black crinoline and crepe, flew in.

"MISTER McVay, please tell me I did not see what I thought I just saw: that HUSSY who has been parading her FLESH in our once clean streets, leaving YOUR OFFICE!!" she demanded indignantly.

She leaned against the wall suddenly, rubbing her chest as if she was having a heart attack.

"Oh, Mister McVay, you don't know how awful it has been for me, as a parent... as a MOTHER!! Worrying about what the influence of these... well, SLUTS is the only word for them, Mr McVay... SLUTS!!" she yelped almost hysterically.

"Have you seen that woman, that WHORE OF BABYLON? Parading up and down, showing her ankles, smiling and leering at the men? And my Hector, my poor innocent Hector... he's only 19, Mr McVay, 19!! He doesn't know about girls yet, he might start to have thoughts... sinful thoughts!" she wailed. She was quite unaware that dear, darling, precious Hector had lost his virginity with Miriam Kaufman on the floor of her father's store months ago, and had been heavy petting with just about any local girl who'd let him for the last two years. 

She stumbled toward a chair and collapsed in it. "Please, please, please tell me, Mr McVay, that that woman wasn't in here trying to... inveigle you!" she gasped, before asking "I don't suppose you happen to have any brandy here, the whole affair is giving me palpitations!"

Flip

The door crashed open and Mrs Wigfall, a flurry of black crinoline and crepe, flew in.

"MISTER McVay, please tell me I did not see what I thought I just saw: that HUSSY who has been parading her FLESH in our once clean streets, leaving YOUR OFFICE!!" she demanded indignantly.

"Well Misses Wifall, I cannot deny that, yes, Missus Rosenkrantz was in fact, in this office," Phin replied, well aware of what was coming. The histrionics were about to begin.

She leaned against the wall suddenly, rubbing her chest as if she was having a heart attack.

"Oh, Mister McVay, you don't know how awful it has been for me, as a parent... as a MOTHER!! Worrying about what the influence of these... well, SLUTS is the only word for them, Mr McVay... SLUTS!!" she yelped almost hysterically.

"Now, now Misses Wigfall there's no need to upset yourself," As if that would make a difference, "I fully understand your position and that of all the other mothers in Kalispell." He smiled, "And yes, sluts are what they are, no sense trying to make more of it than the truth.

"Have you seen that woman, that WHORE OF BABYLON? Parading up and down, showing her ankles, smiling and leering at the men? And my Hector, my poor innocent Hector... he's only 19, Mr McVay, 19!! He doesn't know about girls yet, he might start to have thoughts... sinful thoughts!" she wailed. She was quite unaware that dear, darling, precious Hector had lost his virginity with Miriam Kaufman on the floor of her father's store months ago, and had been heavy petting with just about any local girl who'd let him for the last two years. 

"It is scandalous, indeed, but so far as I know, there is not much the law can do about poor taste." And well, Phin had seen Hector Wigfall with some of the girls around town and Hector was well on his way to debauchery already, if he had not sampled the pleasures of the flesh already, it was due in the very near future. Poor and innocent in his description was a bit much, based on what Phin had already seen of the young man, who was acting like most other young men his age.

"She stumbled toward a chair and collapsed in it. "Please, please, please tell me, Mr McVay, that that woman wasn't in here trying to... inveigle you!" she gasped, before asking "I don't suppose you happen to have any brandy here, the whole affair is giving me palpitations!"

"Yes Misses Wigfall, that was exactly why she was here, to lure me to either visit Missus Adams' house or to try their 'House Call Service.' Where the soiled doves come to the man. Preposterous! Now that may well be illegal, but then, what is legal in Kalispell is not my business, that falls to the new Town Council and Deputy Wentworth." He paused. "No ma'am, I have no brandy, however, I have some Kentucky bourbon, if that would not offend your taste."

"Yes Misses Wigfall, that was exactly why she was here, to lure me to either visit Missus Adams' house or to try their 'House Call Service.' Where the soiled doves come to the man. Preposterous! Now that may well be illegal, but then, what is legal in Kalispell is not my business, that falls to the new Town Council and Deputy Wentworth."

"House Call Service?!! Oh, I've heard it all now!! They'd better not go calling on my house! Oh, can you imagine it!?! Old Mr Silege would have a heart attack! And Lieutenant Greene, he's an officer and a gentleman. What would he say? Oh dear it is a catastrophe! Oooh, er, did you say you had any brandy?" she fished. 

He paused. "No ma'am, I have no brandy, however, I have some Kentucky bourbon, if that would not offend your taste."

"Oh go on then, I'll try and force some down." she agreed, watching as he went to get the bottle out of his desk drawer "Don't be stingy now!" she managed a brave smile. 

The door crashed open and Mrs Orr, a flurry of dyed blonde curls and lace fripperies, flew in, her snooty daughter Anæsthesia, traipsing behind her.

"Mr McVay, I've just heard..." she skidded to a halt when she saw Mary Wigfall ensconced, downing a big tumbler of whiskey, "... well, I had heard that there was a floozy in your office, but I didn't realise it was THAT one!" she growled at the sight of the woman with whom her late husband had been having an affair for... how old were Hector and Jemima?... at least 20 years!

Mrs Wigfall jumped up, finishing the drink as she did and smashing the empty glass down on McVay's desk. "What did you call me?!" the dark haired woman yelled.

"I called you a Floozy: F.L.O.O.Z.Y.! Floozy!!" yelled back Mrs Orr, jutting out her chin pugnaciously.

"How dare you! Just because you couldn't keep your husband interested in you, that's not my fault!" came back the raven haired woman's reply, not denying the accusation.

Flip

"Mr McVay, I've just heard..." she skidded to a halt when she saw Mary Wigfall ensconced, downing a big tumbler of whiskey, "... well, I had heard that there was a floozy in your office, but I didn't realise it was THAT one!" she growled at the sight of the woman with whom her late husband had been having an affair for... how old were Hector and Jemima?... at least 20 years!

Mrs Wigfall jumped up, finishing the drink as she did and smashing the empty glass down on McVay's desk. "What did you call me?!" the dark haired woman yelled.

"No,no, no, not her, it was Missus Rosenkrantz!' He interjected with no apparent recognition that he had even spoken when there was a blur of movement as the glass, his only one, was smashed on the desk top "Missus Wigfall!" He shouted

"I called you a Floozy: F.L.O.O.Z.Y.! Floozy!!" yelled back Mrs Orr, jutting out her chin pugnaciously.

"Misses Orr! Ladies" He all but screamed, again to no avail. "LADIES! For the Lord's sake!"

"How dare you! Just because you couldn't keep your husband interested in you, that's not my fault!" came back the raven haired woman's reply, not denying the accusation.

"Oh for God's sakes!" Phin stated disgustedly. "That's enough! Do you hear me, that is E-nough! Take your petty bickering out of this office! Richard Orr dallied with many more than you Misses Wigfall, it is a known fact that you, Misses Orr, somehow have denied or avoided all these years! Now take it out side!" He needed a drink!

The battling dames, Wigfall and Orr were deaf to all entreaty and ignored the newspaper man's calls for order whilst Anæsthesia, who might more properly have been distraught to hear her late father's name bandied about in such a lurid manner, was busy covering her mouth to hide her mirth at this ludicrous scene. 

"Oh for God's sakes!" Phin stated disgustedly. "That's enough! Do you hear me, that is E-nough! Take your petty bickering out of this office! Richard Orr dallied with many more than you Misses Wigfall, it is a known fact that you, Misses Orr, somehow have denied or avoided all these years! Now take it out side!" He needed a drink!

"How dare you!!!"

"How dare you!!!"

Both middle-aged women yelled as they turned on Mr McVay in unison. "Dickie loved me and me alone, Mister McVay!!" cried Mary Wigfall. "He only married her for her money, the old battleaxe!" 

"That's not true, my darling Richard loved me... but this Jezebel lured him away with her loose morals and her flashing eyes... but he realised his mistake and came back to the bosom of his wife and loving home!" Mrs Orr gamely retorted.

"Ha! He thought you were an old frump, more like! He just felt sorry for you!" the black haired woman shouted back!

"Oh, you bitch!!" roared the blonde dame as she launched herself at Mrs Wigfall, who nimbly darted for cover behind Phin. The two women then commenced a battle royale of punching, hairpulling, biting, pinching, scratching and ear-pulling with Mr McVay tangled up in the middle of it all. 

By this time others, hearing the din, had started to pour in to the small office from the street outside.

"What the dickens is happenin'?!" yelped an amazed Arabella; "It one of them orgg-ees!" pronounced a prudish Granny Miggins; "By crikey! Wait till everybody hears about this!!" drooled a gossip hungry Jimmy Miller; "I'd better fetch the Deputy!!" cried Scrappy Craddock, and set off as fast as his little legs could carry him.

@[JulieS] Flip

Phin turned and shoved Misses Wigfall out in front of him attempting to hold onto her but she pulled away. The sound of material tearing seemed awfully loud, then he quickly stepped back just missing a hard right thrown by Misses Orr, as people poured inside the office to witness the two women battling over a dead man, he had never seen the like. Oh, he had seen women fight one another, young women, fighting over a young man, but two older women tussling over a dead man? The din of the fight and the gathering crowd was growing louder, to where a man could find it hard to think.

He was not about to step between the two, no possible way he would face the both of them in their rage. No, it was a job for the Deputy yo handle, he only hoped someone would go for him and put an end to this insanity! Foolishness, plain and simple foolishness! It was doubtful Richard Orr gave two hoots about either one of them while he was alive. Now he really regretted the accidental fire that took his life.

Where in tarnation was that Deputy?

It would have taken more than an 'Ahem Ladies' to stop the fight, but what did make Mary and Dorothea cease hostilities was that the room had gone suddenly silent, whereas before it had been filled with the noise of catcalls, cheers, laughter and shouted advice from the crowd of onlookers who were either in the room or looking in through the outside windows. 

The sight of the Mayor now caused this to cease abruptly, all except Jimmy Miller's lone voice which, oblivious to the new arrivals, carried on "Come on ladies! Use them fists! That's it Mrs Dubbleyuh, rip them corsets off of her! Come on Mrs O., kick 'er in the... OH! Mornin' Mayor! Mr Townsend!!" He lifted his hat and legged it, as did everybody else except the less than filial Anæsthesia, who was literally crying with laughter at the sight of her mother and Mrs Wigfall with bonnets awry and ripped dresses, showing a good deal of their frillies but nothing more grotesque, thank goodness.

The half-clad dames let go of each other and, pushing poor Mr McVay to one side, rushed up to Matt, trying to pull the flaps of cloth over their exposed underthings.

"Mr Wentworth, thank goodness you've rescued me! This mad woman attacked me!! She needs to be thrown in Jail!" spouted Mrs Wigfall.

"Don't believe that lying hussy, Mister Mayor!! She set about me! Just ask Mister McVay here! She should be horsewhipped!" countered Mrs Orr. 

Anæsthesia, for her part, just dabbed her eyes, suppressed her unrestrained mirth, and gave a little smile to the handsome looking stranger who was with the mayor. 

Flip JulieS

Phin stood close to his type cases to protect them. Little lead letters all over the floor would be no fun and would require both he and his printer's devil, Tommy Lane, to spend a great deal of time sorting type. Not something he looked forward to by any means.

"Mister Mayor. I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you, and this gentleman with you." He greeted, once there was an edge to speak. Both women in tatters, the child, all but in tears, though it had been clear she was enjoying the fray between her mother and the Wigfall woman. He stepped forward with an outstretched hand.

Tag; @JulieS, @Javia