Sally nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned and saw the two rangy cowpokes looming over her.
"Eeek! Oh, good evening, gentlemen..." They certainly didn't look like gentlemen, but in those days the trails contained a good many diamonds in the rough, grizzly looking hombres with the fierce looks of a mountain lion and the gentle manners of a lamb toward a lady. Then again, there were also plenty more whose mean nature was accurately advertised by their appearance.
"Wh... what can I do for you fellers?" she asked, nervously. Get them drinks, she hoped. Even that could be a trauma: Mr Flandry demanded cash on the barrelhead before he'd touch that beer pump, and getting these fellers to pay in advance was sometimes a Sisyphean task.
@[Flip]
Jack Davis was a lot of things, mostly not good, but he was a gentleman. He smiled wide and said to the young lady, "Yes 'um, you surely can." But Dave Jansen remembered his manners and stepped aside for her as well, Harker and Utah Bensen looking on somewhat amused.
"We'll get that table, 'mon Utah." Bo directed, the whisp of a girl didn't appeal to either one and they moved away from the bar as Jansen said;
"Would you be available to have a dance later?" Perhaps a bit forward, but he was suddenly on his best behavior, even removing his hat as he spoke to Sally, though he was unaware of her name, prompting another question, "Yer name? Pretty girl like you must have herself a name. Can't be callin' ya hey you now can I?" Davis grunted his displeasure and followed after the other two.
@Wayfarer @javia @Lonshot @Fortner
Davis Jansen Harker Benson
Dave Jansen, unlike the others, seemed to want to talk to Sally.
"Would you be available to have a dance later?" Perhaps a bit forward, but he was suddenly on his best behavior, even removing his hat.
"Me?!" she nervously laughed, half scared, half fascinated. Dancing? That'd involved being held by a man and, well, she'd never been held by a man before. The idea was so revolting that it made her stomach lurch. Or was that excitement? He wasn't toooo bad looking... and the thought of being held in his arms was sorta... No! She was very firm with herself and told herself that she was definitely revolted, not excited!
So why did she hear herself squeak out a little "Oh... all right!"
Well, after all, he had taken off his hat!
"Yer name? Pretty girl like you must have herself a name. Can't be callin' ya hey you now can I?"
"I'm Sally... Sally Cutts" she smiled, shyly. "What's your name? I guess I should know who I'm takin' a jig with!" she reasoned.
"I'm Sally... Sally Cutts" she smiled, shyly. "What's your name? I guess I should know who I'm takin' a jig with!" she reasoned.
"Sally? Now that there's a right pretty name fer a right purdy gal. Me? I'm Dave, Dave Janson, ride for the Evergreen." He explained before the thought occurred to him that riding for Elias Steelgrave might not sit well with the young lady, or any that overheard him say as much.
"I'm a drover, a cowhand." He added quickly, although that was what he did, that was not all he did for the brand or Mister Steelgrave. "You been here long?' he swapped the subject quick as he could. "Don't remember seein' you before, an' Sally, I'd remember seein' you that'd be a fact. You been in town long?" He rattled on.
The pace of business picked up suddenly, and Fortner circulated between tables asking if service was keeping up.
"Well sir, we got no complaints." Bo Harker stated, looking up at the man. "Whiskey's wet, piano players a good 'un, an, the girls 'er purdy. What's ta complain about?" And all of that was true, even though the place was pretty crowded, it was a good time so far
"I heard ya had yerself a songbird here, she be singin' tanight?" Benson asked, "Ah, Carry Me Back Ta Ol' Virginny! That's a good 'un!! Take's me back some, thet's fer sure!"
"You must be talking about our own Montana Nightingale, Miss Caroline Mundee," Fortner answered proudly. "Let me see if I can convince her to belt out a tune for us."
"Any chance ta scare up a card game in here?" Jensen asked, "Hankerin fer a good game fer a while now."
Fortner smiled.
"I'm sure we can get a card game going here," he answered. "In fact, I'm building private card rooms in back," he pointed vaguely to the door which led to what used to be a storeroom. "It ought to be ready in a week or two, he added.
He left to get to Caroline who he saw near the stage.
"Hey doll," Franklin said. "The boys are hankering for you to belt out "Carry Me Back to Old Virginy". Can you do that for us? You'll find a little extra in your pay envelope if you do."
It never hurt to lure with cash.
"Sally? Now that there's a right pretty name fer a right purdy gal. Me? I'm Dave, Dave Janson, ride for the Evergreen."
If he was worried that the last part might disconcert her, he needn't have worried: she was too preoccupied by the first clause of his sentance.
"He he he, I'm not pretty!!" she giggled. She liked that compliment, why not fish for more?
"I'm a drove, a cowhand." He added quickly, although that was what he did, that was not all he did for the brand or Mister Steelgrave. "You been here long?' he swapped the subject quick as he could.
"Uh-uh" she shook her head.
"Don't remember seein' you before, an' Sally, I'd remember seein' you that'd be a fact. You been in town long?" He rattled on.
"I used to live out at the fort, washing shirts for soldiers. I got tired of that and came here." she said simply enough. She wasn't really a great conversationalist: someone like Hettie Rosenkranz would have asked the feller lots of questions, made conversation. Sally just kinda answered his questions and then stood there like a bail of hay.
"The fort, never been down there so I'd'a never seen ya, but here we are, 'course now there's a lotta fellas here, but you'll surely not do better'n me." Jansen said, of course he had never beern near the fort, and had no intentions of ever going there, having deserted from the Army two years earlier.
"So ya gotta work all night, er ya get off sometime soon?" He asked, "An' ya 'member we got us a dance ta dance soons ya can." He knew that this one was not only shy and inexperienced, she had no idea of where he worked or who for, and that was good. There was the chance he could steal here away from the saloon and have his way with her. Then again, if he played his cards right, he might just spark her, make her his steady gal, which was slowly changing his mind about stealing her away. Likely be a whole lot less trouble from the owner of the place or the law.
-------^------
Meanwhile, the rest of the Evergreen boys were aimlessly looking about, waiting on this songbird to chirp, and to see if there was a card game that they could sit in on. They saw the cowboys that had just walked in, and the drunk hombre who stumbled in right behind them.
"If I'm right I see a couple of 'em before, Lost Lake hands, the big one for sure. So the idea is we don't start nuthin' 'er this'll be are last trip ta town, you can bet on that!" Bo Harker said quietly as he could. If there was trouble then the old man would hear of it and that would be that! Arlen Granger was no slouch when it came to fists or guns, and he held to whatever the old man said.
"Hell, Bo, there just ain't no trouble ta start. Bunch a farmers an' townies, 'cept them whot jest walked in. We steer clear of 'em we'll be a'right. Sides," Davis was saying, "They don't know us from Adam, now do they?"
"'ats a point. Maybe they seen you oncet, but not none of us. 'less Jansen's been seen by 'em afore, but I doubt it." Utah Benson stated, "An' he's busy sparkin' that gal. We'll be alright if we mind are bidness."
Harker was none too sure about that, though, if they kept to themselves things might not get out of hand. "Best we get into a game and jest stay outta their way." He added, even though that might be easier said than done.
Caroline had a drink in her hand, bought for her by a cowpoke whom she had been chatting up. It was one of her skills to make meaningless small talk with almost any customer and get that person to believe she truly cared. The two of them were chuckling over one of his ranch stories. Just then her boss, Fortner, approached.
"Hey doll," Franklin said.
"Boss," she looked at him.
"The boys are hankering for you to belt out "Carry Me Back to Old Virginy". Can you do that for us? You'll find a little extra in your pay envelope if you do."
What the hell? It was her daily job to sing songs for the customers. Why in the devil did he think he needed to give her extra pay to suddenly do it now? Was the man feeling that damn guilty about what he had done to Potee and then caused his wife's death? Yes, she despised him for it, and yes, she still felt guilty herself for her role in it but she never let it affect her job performance. She prided herself on being a professional.
Caroline gave him a look then rolled her eyes and slugged down the last of her drink. It was colored water anyways.
"Of course, boss. One 'Carry Me Back to Old Virginy' comin' right up. Don't wanna disappoint the boys, do we?" she smirked then turned to the cowboy she had been talking to.
"Excuse me, hon, time fer me ta go a work for a bit. You behave yerself now," she flashed him the most warm seemingly sincere smile then made a beeline toward the piano. The man had already been playing the song she was now expected to sing.
"Hey. Ivanhoe, stop playing that fer a minute. Boss wants me to get up on stage and sing that one now. So lemme get up there and introduce myself then we'll do that one first. Got it?" she requested with a grin.
Baby, I done got wise!
Chubby brought his current tune to a satisfying coda and when Caroline mounted the stage and deftly 'introduced' her with a sort of fanfare on the piano keys, which got the attention of the patrons even before she started to speak.
Caroline cleared her throat then charged up the steps of the stage, turning about to face the audience.
"Hey folks! For those who are new to town and don't know me, shame on you! Where ya been? But it's that time again, I've got a hankering to sing you all a few songs. Now seems there some who would like me to sing Carry Me Back to Old Virginy? I'm up for that one. Sooooooooo, here goes!"
"Feel free ta join in on the chorus too if you got a mind to," she grinned then nodded to Chubby who commenced to play.
She was good at what she did, not just her singing but her enthusiasm, eye contact with the audience, and dance steps. At certain times she threw in a few reveals of a shapely leg or two. The saloon was her home, the stage however was her world.