"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
“Oh, do look Mr. Astin, how wonderful! The dear old place hasn’t changed at all!!”
The refined feminine voice, with perhaps still a slight Southern lilt, was loud enough to make the diners already ensconced in the Lickskillet turn in their seats and gaze upon the concoction that had just entered the place, which was, of course, the sole intention of its speaker.
And what a concoction it was that they gazed upon! The skinny young woman herself was perhaps no great shakes in the beauty stakes, apart from her admittedly glorious raven-black hair, piled up in some complicated coiffure: but she more than made up for that in scads by way of her Équipement de beauté: a painfully tight dress, in the latest Paris fashion, of course, along with her chapeau, gloves, parasol and, a nice little extra touch, a handsome actor on her arm.
She grasped the man’s arm.
“OH, I DO hope that they can find us a seat!” she cried dramatically, despite the fact that there were obviously a number of tables free, while the man smiled a little sheepishly at the waitress who stood before them.
“Do you have any free tables, Miss.” He asked dutifully. He sort of had to go along with Arabella’s whims; he owed her $15 and she was paying for lunch.
The diner always did it's best business with breakfast and lunch, so it was on this day too. Clara was busy in the kitchen juggling cooking up three different orders. It could get hectic but she was used to it. Besides say what you want about her sometimes prickly personality, her work ethic was second to none. She had also been smart enough to not try and do it all by herself, having hired someone to wait on tables. She liked the young woman, she was competent and she showed up. Two very important qualities to Clara.
Constance had just finished setting down two platefuls of hot food at a table of two regulars, an old couple that always sat in the same place if at all possible. The front bell then tinkled announcing the arrival of more customers, she turned to look. Well, there were two very well dressed people, especially the young miss. She had not seen them before, maybe they had gotten off the stagecoach?
As she turned their way the lady cried out rather dramatically, “OH, I DO hope that they can find us a seat!”
Constance blinked. Was she blind, there were open tables. The town did have a blind girl but this was definitely not her.
“Do you have any free tables, Miss?" asked the man.
"Only three," Constance couldn't help her sarcasm but cushioned it with a welcoming smile then, "You and the lady may take your pick."
"There is the daily menu up there," she pointed to the blackboard where all the offerings were printed out in chalk in Clara's very clear printing. Just in case the two of them were oblivious to more than just tables.
"Seat yourselves and I will be right with you in a minute," she added, she still needed to pour the elderly couple their coffee refills.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"Only three," Constance couldn't help her sarcasm but cushioned it with a welcoming smile then, "You and the lady may take your pick."
Mr. Astin gave a polite nod of understanding and a slight smirk of appreciation at the ironic comment, which didn't seem to have hit home with his companion any, either being over her head or below her notice.
"There is the daily menu up there," she pointed to the blackboard where all the offerings were printed out in chalk in Clara's very clear printing. Just in case the two of them were oblivious to more than just tables.
The stiffly dressed Arabella screwed up her eyes myopically at the large clear words of the menu, then pulled out a long thin case, from which she slid out a golden, or rather gilded, lorgnette which she unfolded, holding the handle delicately in one hand and holding the ocular part up to her eyes. "Ah, that's better!" she sighed, although Mr Astin knew for a fact that the glass in the posh handheld spectacles was completely clear - it was just a stage prop from their production of The Two Orphans.
"Seat yourselves and I will be right with you in a minute," she added, she still needed to pour the elderly couple their coffee refills.
As the new waitress turned her back on the dandy couple, Arabella filled the wait by peering around the diner through the lorgnette and finally examining the waitress herself from her tow coloured hair to her neat little black boot heels, and all points in between. "Mmmmm... there's certainly some tasty offerings in here today, Mr. Astin" she declared.
Had Miss Hardy or Mister Darling been there, they would no doubt have told Arabella off for her silly and juvenile mischief, but Astin contented himself with just smirking his little smirk. That's what Arabella liked about him, he basically couldn't give a damn about anything apart from raising his next gambling stake, and with his handsome looks he made a good accessory: walking about town on his arm made her look pretty fancy indeed.
Of course, that was about the extent of their relationship off-stage: he was about as interested in women as she was in men. Oddly enough, though, on stage, they were about the most romantic couple you could imagine.
Finally the girl turned to them.
"Oh, girl, do be sure to let Mrs Lutz know that her friend Miss Mudd is in the house. Why, she'll be beside herself if she realises I called and she missed me!" Arabella informed the waitress "Now, we'll have two specials..." The man objected "Ahh, I'm not that hungry Arabella..." but the skinny girl cut him off.
"Now don't be piker Mr Astin, you know I'll finish off anything you leave!" she smiled up at Constance and put her hands on her impossibly thin waist "You know, I just can't put weight on." she gushed sadly.
@Wayfarer
Coffee refills done, Constance returned to the latest arrivals who had managed the no doubt difficult choice of which table to sit at.The waitress flashed her best customer service smile at the pair of them.
"I'm back," she stated the obvious.
"Oh, girl, do be sure to let Mrs Lutz know that her friend Miss Mudd is in the house. Why, she'll be beside herself if she realises I called and she missed me!" Arabella informed the waitress.
The surprise probably showed on Constance's face, Clara knew this fancy young thing? The two seemed to be complete opposites.
"Yes, of course, I will," she nodded but the woman was ordering without delay.
"Now, we'll have two specials..." The man objected "Ahh, I'm not that hungry Arabella..." but the skinny girl cut him off.
Now don't be piker Mr Astin, you know I'll finish off anything you leave!" she smiled up at Constance and put her hands on her impossibly thin waist "You know, I just can't put weight on." she gushed sadly.
Constance nodded sagely, she didn't even need to write this order down as she listened to this Mudd? The name definitely did not fit the outfit.
"Opposite of me then. I have to watch my figure, especially what with the bakery in this place. Temptations abound," Constance declared.
"Would you care for anything to drink then?" she couldn't forget that part.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"Opposite of me then. I have to watch my figure, especially what with the bakery in this place. Temptations abound," Constance declared.
Arabella gave the girl an admiring up and down glance. "I think your shape is pretty much perfect. You don't need to watch your figure at all, I bet all the fellers in town watch it!" she grinned, while Mr. Astin muttered "Down girl!"
"Would you care for anything to drink then?" she couldn't forget that part.
"Coffee, please" answered Astin, plainly enough, but Arabella took on a look of angelic purity and declared dramatically "Water Bright is my one delight!" which made Asin grunt: not only had Arabella's temperance speeches gotten them in trouble on tour on occasion, her declaiming about 'purity' was hypocritical in the extreme, considering some of her habits.
Not, he had to admit to himself, that he could talk.
Suddenly Arabella reached out her hand and took Constance's in hers.
"You've been so very helpful, Miss, please tell me, what is your name?".
@Wayfarer
Miss Mudd gave Constance an admiring up and down glance. "I think your shape is pretty much perfect. You don't need to watch your figure at all, I bet all the fellers in town watch it!" she grinned, while Mr. Astin muttered "Down girl!"
Alright, that was a bit...odd? Maybe the other woman was just trying to make her feel good, throw her a compliment. She supposed so and it was nice of her.
"Thank you, Miss Mudd," Constance nodded giving the man a puzzled look at his declaration. But she had a job to do so asked about drinks. The man wanted coffee and the young miss water, requested in rather strange phrasing. She had a flair for the dramatic alright, this one.
Suddenly Arabella reached out her hand and took Constance's in hers.
Constance stopped dead, taken aback.
"You've been so very helpful, Miss, please tell me, what is your name?"
"Well...Constance, Miss Mudd....Constance Straub," she might as well answer her. Hey, maybe she'd get a big tip out of all this?
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"You've been so very helpful, Miss, please tell me, what is your name?"
"Well...Constance, Miss Mudd....Constance Straub," she might as well answer her. Hey, maybe she'd get a big tip out of all this?
"Constance Straub" repeated Arabella wistfully, weighing the syllables with the care of a poet. She tipped her head and smiled "Isn't that a pretty name, John?"
Out of politeness, Astin managed to concur "Ur, yes... hey, I've got a cousin called Constance."
Arabella waved that fascinating fact aside.
"But will it be Straub for long? I mean, I bet a pretty girl like you has all sorts of fellers chasing after you!" the little actress grinned conspiratorially. "You know I got three offers of marriage on that Tour?" she asked Astin. "Yes, we know" he replied, a little wearily.
Arabella turned excitedly to Constance "Three offers of marriage, Miss Straub, and one of the fellers was actually sober!" she confided in the other girl "But that's the way it is for girls like you and I..."
"Me" corrected Astin, looking at the ceiling. Arabella ignored him.
"... girls who are in the public eye, exposed to the gaze of men, catering to their needs, be it pies or plays, it's just oh so easy for them to fall madly deeply in love with us!"
John Astin frowned at the ceiling. He wasn't likely to fall in love with Miss Straub, but he did feel a little sorry for her right now.
@Wayfarer
Miss Mudd thought her name 'pretty'. Constance wasn't all that sure it was, now that she considered it but no matter.
"But will it be Straub for long? I mean, I bet a pretty girl like you has all sorts of fellers chasing after you!" the little actress grinned conspiratorially.
"Not that I am aware," Constance threw some water on that fire of an idea. Well, there had been one but she had not heard anything from him since their first encounter.
"You know I got three offers of marriage on that Tour?" she asked Astin. "Yes, we know" he replied, a little wearily.
Arabella turned excitedly to Constance "Three offers of marriage, Miss Straub, and one of the fellers was actually sober!" she confided in the other girl "But that's the way it is for girls like you and I..."
"Fascinating and yet you took none of them up?" Constance could be rather cynical about a lot of things and she had her doubts that statement was true.
Miss Mud went on,"... girls who are in the public eye, exposed to the gaze of men, catering to their needs, be it pies or plays, it's just oh so easy for them to fall madly deeply in love with us!"
"Perhaps," Constance decided it was time for a quick retreat and she had good reasons too - she needed to put in their order, tell Clara about little Miss Drama here, and escape the way this conversation was heading.
"I will go place your order and let Cla...Mrs. Lutz know you're here, be back later with your food," Constance then turned and headed straight for the kitchen at a good pace.
It was but a long minute though and she was right back out to approach their table.
"Mrs. Lutz said that she really cannot come out at this time as she is so busy with cooking in there. Including your order now too," she announced then added, "But she'd love to see you and suggests you go back there and you two can have a chat while she keeps working."