Phin almost laughed at the statement. "It's a sure thing you don't know him very well. When he learns of Marsha Guyer's wounding, he'll be all business, you can bank on that young lady." At least from what he knew of the Deputy, he would not be at all happy that his friend had been shot, nor that no shooter had been captured or killed in response. Actually, there was no telling what Pronto Pike was liable to do.

He looked at the girl once more, "Shouldn't you be headed home since your mother and Missus Wigfall have already left?" There was liable to be more conversation with the Mayor and the new Judge that would not concern a teenaged girl, who was liable to blast it all over Kalispell. Not that it might not be something of a private matter, but whatever the men had to say was no business of an eighteen year old young lady.

He looked at the girl once more, "Shouldn't you be headed home since your mother and Missus Wigfall have already left?" 

"Hmph! Very well, Mister McVay; I shan't stay where I'm not wanted!" sniffed Anæsthesia, turning up her nose and giving Mr Wentworth and Mr Townsend a terse "Farewell Gentlemen." and exiting out of the front door with her nose firmly in the air.

JulieS Flip

"I feel obliged to have reminded her that the conversation was between us men and there is no place for a young lady, or even the older women who had already left, to assert herself, no matter how charming she might be, she should be aware of her place." Phin said, trying his best to sound more inclusive than was common to the times, but seeming to fail at it. He would not be alone in that position long.

"Gentlemen, it is not often that I would take that position, but in matters of the town, well, she seemed to be out of place, as would Misses Orr and Misses Wigfall." A correct position for a man to take. Though Phin was well aware that times were slowly moving to a more inclusive society.

JulieS, Javia

"Well then, if you would care to have a seat, I would be very interested in what you have to say." There were extra chairs that Pen moved over to where they had been standing and dusted them off. Taking up his pad and pencil he smiled.

"I have coffee on, if up like, and some clean cups. Other than that, I'ready sir. Begin where you like, I'm sure your history and your plans will interest my readers, and give them a real a feel for not just who you are, but what your plan for Kalispell embodies. You may proceed, sir." This excited Phin, he need not track the man down and plead for some of his valuable time, no, it was offered!

It was not as if Kalispell was Abilene or Dodge City, after all. Yes, there were problems, all frontier towns had them, some more, some less, it was a product of the times and the expansion westward. There was the threat of a range war between the Lost Lake and Evergreen ranches, but that had failed to materialize. Then there was the rustling of cattle, and the burning out of homesteader's claims. Yes, there were suspicions but no concrete evidence of who was behind it.

@JulieS

"That fact sir, that you are now a prominent citizen of our town, and a judge, whatever folks might learn about you would interest, if not excite the good people of Kalispell," Phin said, "Now believe me, Mister Townsend I could not agree more with the Governor about the towns including this one, get their houses in order.

Kalispell does have its problems, to be sure, and we have had real law and order, but the shooting of our Marshal, and th absence of his best deputy have combined to have most citizens on edge in so far as outlaw activity, which has never reached our streets." He continued.

"Now sir, what I propose is perhaps an edition about you and your platform, shall we say? Let the people know not just who you are, but what you stand for, and what you intend to implement from the bench. Those sorts of things that people will want to know." He smiled, looked at Mayor Wentworth, and back to Judge Townsend.

"A burgeoning underbelly of criminal activity, you say? Perhaps you would care to enlighten me on that. As far as I know, any suspicious activity or behavior that I've witnessed, or been apprised of, has come from the Stardust Saloon. Ever since Matilda Devereau sold it to Franklin Fortner, well things have slid downhill there. Not the same as it once was" Phin explained. This 'underbelly of criminal activity' statement caught him by surprise. Though he did not know everything there was to know about Kalispell, he was unaware of a lot, obviously.

"Kalispell is growing, that's for sure. And more people are coming, basing that on the railroad once that get's started and rolls through town." Phin stated, "And there are some mining operations that will draw more miners, and should they prosper, then we can almost certainly expect there to be a rush of some size. Meaning, women and children will accompany that surge in population. Granted, all of that will be good for business, but we all know what the arrival of the 'Hell On Wheels' camp will mean, at least for a while. That is if the railroad ever gets started they have yet to but the right of ways for it."

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