" ... - - - ... "
"An' no, I ain't dancin', don't know no dances, so Miss Miriam c'n just do that alone...with Hector..." Tully was not having any part of it all.
Miriam looked to Hector, "How can you play music and dance at the same time?"
"Huh, well, guess we can't then" he sulked.
Girls! Hector frowned, they were always trying to get away from him! What was wrong with him, he wondered: he wasn't hideous to look at, he had a good job, he liked to think that he was reasonably intelligent, but somehow he never seemed to get any place. And the one time he had got 'some place' - and what a place! - with Miriam Kaufman, she'd dropped him immediately afterwards. He must be the world's worst lover, was all he could conclude. Now they were coming up with any excuse not to dance with him.
Arabella came to the rescue. "Oh Dolly, don't be silly, I can play the guitarro while you an' Heck're dancing and Tully, this is your big chance to learn to dance!" she announced bossily. "And as for you, Mister Misery, don't give up so easy!" she grabbed Hector around the arm "Turn that frown upside down and remember, 'faint heart ne'er won fair lady'!" she recited with a grin. She had an oddly 'big sisterly 'concern for the older lad, maybe a redirected hangover from the protective feelings she had held for her dear little brother who had died back in Virginia. She certainly seemed have a stronger sisterly feeling toward Hector than his own flesh and blood, Jemima, who was just standing there dumbly, wondering if she would get a dance with anybody.
Frances, for whom this picnic had been intended had been somewhat forgotten during this exchange, and her bath-chair had started, unnoticed, to roll gently backward along the boardwalk.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Mid-October and the weather was becoming colder by the day. Of course here in Kalispell, there was the threat of early snow, but then that seemed to be every fall leading into the winter months. And then too there was this fad sweeping the country bonfires and costumes which were popular in the east were taking hold in the west, thanks to the Irish escaping their potato famine.
In line with that sort of thing, there was a rumor of some sort of picnic being held close by, though Phinn paid little attention to such things, even though, supposedly, the whole town was invited. It seemed just yesterday the Pikes had returned from their trip, and Marshal Guyer had been sent home to Amos Conroy and daughter Alice Fletcher's ranch, the Rafter A, there had been a great deal of feminine tongue wagging about that, and the fact he and Alice were not yet married. Such was life in Kalispell.
Cup of coffee in hand, Phinn stepped out on the boardwalk for some fresh air when he heard the sound of wheels on the boardwalk. He turned to the sound and was the recipient of Miss Francis Gimes in her bath chair which nearly deposited the both of them on the boardwalk, as the hot coffee went flying harmlessly and the bath chair lay atop the pair sprawled on the wooden walkway.
"Francis! Good Lord girl, are you alright?" He gasped, the chair should have been chaulked to prevent this from happening, or someone should have kept an eye on the girl. "Here, let me figure out how to get us out of the cumbersome quandary!"
Javia
"Don't gotta learn ta dance," Tully grumbled, wondering why everyone was so bent on changing her. But the way that poor Hector looking, sort of pouting, she shrugged. "Maybe just one, but don't expect much."
Civilized life didn't seem all that grand, there was too much civilization attached to it, too many expectations and obligations. "I'll like as not trample yer feet, an' it'll all be Arabeller's fault. Ain't that right, Frances? Frances?"
Now, where had she gotten to? Maybe the good doctor had come along while they were discussing dancing lessons and whisked her away?
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows" - Helen Keller
"Don't gotta learn ta dance," Tully grumbled, wondering why everyone was so bent on changing her.
"Well, course you gotta!" Arabella corrected the girl with the golden curls "What if you find yourself invited to cotillion?!" Tully must have taken heed of this sage advice, judging by her next words.
"Maybe just one, but don't expect much."
"Oh, wonderful!" grinned Hector. One out of two wasn't bad.
"I'll like as not trample yer feet, an' it'll all be Arabeller's fault. Ain't that right, Frances? Frances?"
They all looked around.
"Oh look!" screeched Arabella laughing "Franny's having the first dance with Mister McVey!!"
Jemima, who had been a bit left out of all the dancing conversation, gave a mighty gasp and ran pell-mell toward the pair.
"Francis! Good Lord girl, are you alright?" He gasped, the chair should have been chaulked to prevent this from happening, or someone should have kept an eye on the girl. "Here, let me figure out how to get us out of the cumbersome quandary!"
"Ow! Oh, Mister McVey! I wondered who was lying on top of me!" Frances winced, holding onto her ribs. Jemima had arrived by now and the strong, homely girl lifted the wheelchair off with one hand and Mister McVee with the other (well, helped him up, at least)
Arabella skidded up, but her sole contribution of unpicking the situation was another loud chuckle and an irreverent query of "Oh goodness, Mister McVey; does this mean that you and Franny have to get married now?!"
"Shut up, you! She might have hurt her ribs again!!" Jemima bellowed at the actress, angrily.
@[Wayfarer]
@[Flip]
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Thank you, Miss Wigfall, and no Arabella dear, I doubt that nuptials would be called for in this instance, however, Doctor Danforth might well be needed if Miss Grimes is injured. Phinn stated, none too happy with Arabella, which was not unusual. He was more concerned about Francis Grimes, condition.
"That contraption should be chocked up to prevent this sort of thing." He added as he regained his stance. "Now Miss Grimes, are you alright, or should we get the doctor for you? Not to worry about his fee, I'll take care of that if there is one." He looked to see that while he was spared the hot coffee being splattered on him or Miss Grimes, the liquid was soaking into the weathered boardwalk and his cup lay broken in the street.
Bongo, Wafarer, Javia
Miriam could tell Hector was quite deflated, she did feel badly for the boy. It wasn't that she disliked Hector, it was just that she loved another and there could not be room for another. She had thought she had made it crystal clear for the boy but.........he was a boy. She sighed.
Arabella came to Hector's rescue though and suddenly dances could be managed afterall. Tully weakened first and conceded to one single dance. Mirriam would not be stubborn about this.
"Very well, Hector, I'm fine with dancing with you," she flashed him a smile.
Somehow though Frances wheelchair had traveled while they were all chattering away. Luckily the newspaper owner Mr. McVay had come to the poor unfortunate's rescue.
"Oh, rattlesnakes an' horny toads!" Tully exclaimed as they spotted Frances in a tumbled mess with Mr. McVey and her chair. Dashing after Arabeller and the others, she stood clear as Jemima untangled the entanglement! And as much as she wanted to check on her friend, there were already so many people there now.
"Is she alive?" she whispered, wondering how the simple scheme to dupe the doctor into having a romantic picnic had turned into a town social, with everyone there but the doctor!
" ... - - - ... "
"Very well, Hector, I'm fine with dancing with you,"
Hector's heart leapt and he convinced himself that Miriam's agreement was proffered in a much less grudging way than it actually was: didn't girls sometimes play 'hard to get' when they really liked a feller? Some sage of the feminine mystique had told him that once: Jacob Lutz or Arabella or someone. He was just wondering what to do if he had to chose between the dark beauty of Miriam Kaufman or the bright pretty face of Tully Nevada (Mormonism came to mind!) when he realised that everyone had run off after a runaway Frances.
He caught up with the crowd and strategically placed himself between Tully and Miriam, resting a gentle hand on the the backs of each of them, and asking "Is she all right?" and, more importantly, feeling the difference between the Jewish girl's rough smock and the fancy number Miss Nevada was wearing, one of Anaesthesia's old cast offs, but still very pretty. Boy, this was the life! what was that saying "Two birds in your hands is better than getting one in the bush"? No, that wasn't quite right. Oh well.
Tully, at least, had got her priorities right:
"Is she alive?" she whispered, wondering how the simple scheme to dupe the doctor into having a romantic picnic had turned into a town social, with everyone there but the doctor!
"I'm still in one piece!" Frances said bravely as Jemima helped her up "I think I'll go under my own power from now on, though." winced the blind girl. Arabella, making herself useful for once, ran and got Frances' stick, but couldn't help poking Hector in the stomach with it as she passed.
"Hey, Casanova, stop pitchin' woo and go and get your fiddle." she instructed, and he reluctantly let go of the two contrasting beauties.
To the coffee soaked journalist Arabella offered "Now, Mister McVey, to make up for your unfortunate accident, we'd like to invite you along to our picnic!" Like it was her picnic to invite folks to in the first place!!
"Every town needs a newspaper."
To the coffee soaked journalist Arabella offered "Now, Mister McVey, to make up for your unfortunate accident, we'd like to invite you along to our picnic!" Like it was her picnic to invite folks to in the first place!!
McVay smiled as he regained his footing and began dusting himself off. "Well then, I believe that this should dry out fairly quickly in the sun, didn't realize I had been spayed, serves me right not looking about before venturing out coffee in hand, I mean I usually do look about, as there are always folks on the boardwalk, all the time."
"A picnic you say? Well I've nothing to bring, but I would be delighted to attend. What a grand idea!" He stated.
Wayfarer, Bongo, Javia
This picnic, in Tully's cynical opinion, was getting entirely too populated, and the doctor wasn't even here yet! She started pondering on ways to get away, but she didn't want to disappoint Frances.
She cast a suspicious glance to the newspaper man, then shuffled closer to Frances and Jemima, looking toward Hector. "An' I ain't no bird, an' I ain't in yer hands!" Just so he was clear! He might get a dance, but come midnight, she was planning on being fast asleep under the steps to the gunsmith -- ALONE!