"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Hate to rain on your parade, but unfortunately for all of us, if we live and breathe, it would seem that sooner or later we succumb to the attraction of another human being. Unfair as that might seem." Phin stated with a smile. "It appears to be something we all grapple with from time to time."
"Emotional entanglements from love to hate come upon us mostly without much of a warning, no matter how we try to avoid them. Or at least that has been my experience, and that of a great number of people I have come in contact with in this business over the years." He put forth. "But again, it may be possible to go through life as a solitary individual without dealing with such 'foolishness,' as you put it."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Talking of entanglements, here came the walking bramble herself. Arabella gave up on 'Killjoy Charlie' and marching past a still fiddling Hector and a somewhat bored looking Miriam declared to the pair of them, in her usual dictatorial way.
"Keep playing Heck, stay there Dolly, I'm gonna dance with one of these fellers!" she pointed to where the town doctor and the town reporter were sat chatting to the town vagrant.
She marched up to them, resplendent in her purple de la mode dress.
"All right, who wants a dance? And I'm not taking no for an answer! Already had that from 'Deputy Depression' over there. Mr McVey, Doctor Danforth..." she fixed Tully with an amused twinkle in her eye "... Miss Nevada? Two girls can dance together, you know..." she jerked a thumb at her chest "... but I lead."
@[Bongo]
"That would suit me just fine," Jonah grumbled, "but I'm afraid it may be too late for me. And you're right, it sneaks up on you when you don't expect it."
He wasn't sure why he was discussing this, especially with relative strangers, but he needed to work it out for himself, and the best way to do that was to put words to it. He knew that the wild girl would never repeat any of it, and he hoped Phineas would keep his confidence.
"Reckon I don't gotta worry much 'bout such folderol," Tully commented with a wry grin, "won't no man want'a be around th' like's'a me." After all, she was scruffy and most of the time ratty, and she didn't speak proper nor behave like a lady.
"Nonsense." Jonah glanced at Phineas for confirmation, and at that moment, Miss Arabella Mudd waltzed over, looking for a dance partner.
"Oh, well, I just asked Miss Nevada to dance," he declared, standing and extending a hand to Tully, who looked up at him as though he was addled, which, perhaps, he was, but it was better than the alternative, not that he enjoyed essentially throwing Phineas to the wolf, so to speak! "Please?"
Shrugging, Tully stood and took his hand, unaware that Jonah was hoping as much as she, that he could escape this soiree by trying to pawn her off on Hector!
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Phin was about to confirm what the Doctor had said and let Tully know that there were men out there who would see her attributes and not be too judgemental of her speech, or her manner of dress, all of which could be rectified. Then he looked up as Arabella interrupted.
He smiled, "Sorry young lady, bunions are acting up, hence, I'm parked here on this step recovering," He said, and in actuality, there was some serious discomfort after the dance with Tully that he did not care to make any worse, yet he offered, "A shame there aren't more men available for this impromptu soiree, I mean there are single men in town, Iknow that for a fact, and not just the saloon crowd."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
When Jonas got up to dance with Tully instead of her, and Mister McVey made some feeble excuse about his corns (he'd been dancing sprightly enough a few minutes ago!) Arabella just threw up her hands.
"What the dickens is wrong with the men in these parts?!" she shook her head and stomped off to where Miriam was standing unemployed.
"Come on Dolly, let's go! This is the worst party I ever crashed!" she ordered her submissive partner.
In future years, when she was the belle of Broadway, and couldn't attend a ball without men clamouring to mark her dance card, she would look back ruefully to this 'day of infamy'.
Well, that just left Hector sawing away manfully on his fiddle for the sole dancers: Doctor Danforth and Tully Nevada, while Phin and Charlie looked on.
The dance stopped, or at least Tully and Jonah stopped dancing by unspoken mutual agreement, even if the music was still going, and as they started back to where Phineas was sitting, Jonah commented to Hector, "You can stop now, I believe the festivities are over."
Then he followed the girl to the steps, where she had resumed a seat near Phineas. "Well, that didn't go so well," the doctor grumbled as he leaned on the railing, still standing. Of course, the food had been left behind, so there was a win! "I suppose," he sighed, "someone needs to take the dishes back...and I should explain to Miss Grimes..." What, or how, he wasn't sure.
"I c'n do that." With a shrug, Tully stood and shuffled over to the basket, not sure exactly how things had gone so badly, and all the more convinced that it was best just to keep to yourself! "Anyone want naught a'fore I take this back?" she asked the men. "There's meat an' fruit pies, but I ain't really sure which is what."
She plucked a goodie from the basket and took a bite, grinning. Jemima sure could cook! "This one's meat!"
" ... - - - ... "
Seeing as everybody had either gone off in a huff or at the very least, stopped dancing, Hector lay down his fiddle and wandered over.
"I c'n do that." With a shrug, Tully stood and shuffled over to the basket, not sure exactly how things had gone so badly, and all the more convinced that it was best just to keep to yourself! "Anyone want naught a'fore I take this back?" she asked the men. "There's meat an' fruit pies, but I ain't really sure which is what."
She plucked a goodie from the basket and took a bite, grinning. Jemima sure could cook! "This one's meat!"
"Hey, I'll have one o' those, Miss Nevada." he announced "Looks like I won't be getting a dance, might as well have a pasty: what'd Sis put in those ones? Anyone seen Buster lately, or Old Smokey?" he joked. Nah, Jemima was a good cook: even he would have to admit that.
"How come Arabella and Frances went off like that?" he asked the trio casually. She didn't need to ask about Miriam - when Arabella flounced, her Dolly followed.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Shame," Phin said getting to his feet, "It was a grand idea. Miss Nevada, thank you for the conversation, Doc, always good to see you. I'll be off to the office, got an edition to get out." He started off pausing by Hector.
"Nice fiddlin' son. Very nice!" He complimented the lad and then continued on his way, whistling a tune Hector had been playing. It had been a nice break in the daily routine, and he was a bit more chipper than usual. For the moment, life was good.
Tully managed a sort-of smile as she held the basket to to Hector, then watched as Phineas walked away, thinking that she might go talk to him sometime. He seemed pretty nice, and didn't have any ill-will, and his advice was good.
Then Dr. Danforth plucked a pasty from the basket and bit into it. "Apple!" The man grinned, then nodded to Tully. "Please, make sure Miss Frances knows I didn't mean her any harm...nor disrespect." Sometimes, things were just the way they were. And with that, he strode off.
"So, um..." This was quite awkward, so Tully chose a turnover and bit into it. "Apple, too, an' real good." She shrugged, glancing in the direction the other ladies had gone, then back to Hector. "Ya play that right good. Where'd ya learn?"
" ... - - - ... "
Then Dr. Danforth plucked a pasty from the basket and bit into it. "Apple!" The man grinned, then nodded to Tully. "Please, make sure Miss Frances knows I didn't mean her any harm...nor disrespect." And with that, he strode off.
Hector watched the medical man leave with a puzzled frown "What the heck was all that about?" he muttered. Dr Danforth was usually charm itself, especially around the ladies; he found it hard to believe he would be deliberately rude to an injured blind girl: especially one so sweet and mild as Miss Grimes.
"So, um..." This was quite awkward, so Tully chose a turnover and bit into it. "Apple, too, an' real good." She shrugged, glancing in the direction the other ladies had gone, then back to Hector. "Ya play that right good. Where'd ya learn?"
"Oh, me and Jemima had lessons when we were kids, but she used to use her banjo as a weapon, so it got taken off her." he remembered. Funny, when they were children, he'd hated her, but now he regarded his twin sister with a mixture of amused affection and awe at her fortitude in the face of the many challenges that life was throwing at her.
As he followed Miss Nevada's gaze, he got the impression that Tully would rather not be stuck here with him. He finished his pasty and nodded at the food basket "I'm sorry your picnic didn't turn out right, I'll give you a hand taking the basket home, if you like: you're staying at Anæsthesia's house aren't you?" he checked.
The idea of the snooty Miss Orr opening up her house to waifs and strays was a novel one.
"Boy, she must have improved some lately, she used to be about the meanest girl in school. Not that I was much better, come to think of it. How d'you get along with her?" He didn't have to ask how she got along with Frances, she was one of the nicest natured people he had ever met. It was a pity if Doctor Danforth had upset her.