Any opportunity to go into town was a welcome change of pace from the daily routine of ranch work, so Justus was happy when he was asked to make a run to the Lickskillet to deliver some goods that had inadvertently been sent to the Rocking P. He'd even changed to fresher clothes -- no one really cared at the ranch that what he was wearing was a little dirty and patched -- before hitching up the team and heading for town.
It was a nice day, and the drive was pleasant, so Justus was in a good mood when he pulled the wagon up in front of the cafe. He'd been in a few times before and was looking forward to coffee and a slice(or two!) of pie, and the aromas that met him as he stepped in the door didn't disappoint.
Quickly pulling off his hat, he 'worried' the brim as he waited to be noticed.
Arabella having left then Clara settled down to complete attention to her job, cooking for the customers, including Arabella. Later after the young actress and her companion had finished the dinner, without complaints thankfully, and even paid the bill they did not leave but seemed to be waiting for someone. It was not an issue, the place had thinned out so there were tables open, they weren't taking seats away from new customers. Constance thought them a bit odd but still, they tipped her so she was happy enough. Some customers were skinflints but she had to grin and bear it, not without remembering the faces and silently vowing next time she waited on them she'd get her revenge. Nothing major of course.
Constance had just cleared away another table when the front bell tinkled a new arrival. She looked that way and a tall young man had entered, hat in hand. He only closed the door and then stood there, probably to wait to be seated. She now approached him, all smiles.
"Good day! Would you like a table or are you here for some bakery?" she knew by now there were always some customers who came in just to buy cakes, pies, cookies, and other delicious baked goods.
"Miss." Smiling, Justus gave the pretty girl a polite nod. He'd heard that there was new help here from the other boys, but he'd not met her yet. He'd missed out! "I'm Justus Gibbs, I work at th' Rockin' P...Mrs. Pike sent me here with some supplies fer th' cafe."
He knew some of it was coffee, beans, flour and such, those were marked bags, but there were also several crates of various sizes that he had no idea what they contained. Not that that mattered, beyond his own curiosity!
"Do ya want me ta pull th' wagon around back? I can unload it for ya." He surely didn't expect the ladies to flinging all that cargo around!
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Arabella, winking at Mr Astin, watched the pair with interest, being of a romantical caste of mind, she wondered if there was any 'chemistry' between them. Mr Astin watched the lad with interest, too, not that he was romantical, although you wouldn't now it from some of the parts he played on stage.
She hoped to see the scene played out before Mr McVey arrived, for then it would be all business.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Life had many drawbacks in Kalispell Montana, especially for the local newspaper editor. Hunting up stories of intrest was no easy task. There was no real; crime to speak of, at least not from the Steelgraves, either Elias or Case, although there were rumors of the ever-impending range war which was really nothing more than old mn Steelgraves want to have the lost Lake for himself, but more importantly, Thornton and Cantrell dead.
Not everyone saw that as the result of all this posturing, but it was certainly it in a nutshell. Now he was off to the Lickskillet Diner, one of his favorite haunts, to a meeting with one Arabella Mudd, a young lady who had more than a thorn in his backside in the time he had known her. But perhaps there was a story to be had, something of interest, there was not a single person in town that did not, in one way or another, know of Arabella Mudd and some of her antics.
What was this encounter going to be about? A new, upcoming role in the White Rose Theater? Some scheme she was about to hatch such as the home for girls? Whatever this interview or meeting as she had called it, might be about, it just might be newsworthy. He stopped just short of the door thinking to take a bracer ahead of this meeting, then decided against it as he was on a public street, and he did not need alcohol on his breath.
He cleared his throat, straightened his coat, and stepped forward to the door, opening it and stepping inside.
"Miss." Smiling, Justus gave the pretty girl a polite nod, "I'm Justus Gibbs, I work at th' Rockin' P...Mrs. Pike sent me here with some supplies fer th' cafe."
Constance thought that a bit odd, the ranch was supplying the diner? It was March, couldn't be crops. Oh wait, perhaps meat? She really didn't know much about that ranch (or ANY ranch being a city girl all her life) and what went on out there. But she did know Mrs. Pike and thought her a most pleasant lady.
"Oh...very well then, Justus Gibbs," once more she smiled.
"Do ya want me ta pull th' wagon around back? I can unload it for ya," he now offered.
"Yes, that would be kind of you. I would help but ...well, I'm the waitress," she stated the obvious, "Do you know your way around to the back. That alley is a bit narrow I believe." Not that she ever drove a wagon in her life.
"I will go tell Mrs. Lutz you have some supplies for her, she's in the kitchen," she added.
As she headed into the back, the front door opened with its tell tale tinkling of the bell. She turned to look who this time. Oh it was Mr. McVay, he was a rather regular customer. Pleasant enough fellow. Constance smiled.
"Hello Mr. McVay, take a seat anywhere. I will be right back to wait on you," she directed him then disappeared into the kitchen.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"I will go tell Mrs. Lutz you have some supplies for her, she's in the kitchen," she added as she headed into the back.
Arabella was sitting near enough to where Justus was standing to be able to turn round and look up at him.
“Hey you”
He looked blank, so she tugged his sleeve.
“Hey, yeah you, Hayseed.”
She nodded toward where Constance had disappeared into the back.
“You know, I'm a great judge of character, and I think that girl likes you!” she confided “Why don’t you ask her out?”
Before he could object, she produced two small cardboard tickets from somewhere and pressed them into his hand.
“Take her to the Theatre: here’s two free tickets. No, that’s all right, you take ‘em, quick before she comes back. All you need to do is to remember is to sit near the back with her, in the dark, and to clap real loud as soon as I come on stage, and don't stop until I hold my finger to my lips; think you can do that? Now remember, faint heart ne’re won fair lady, ask her out as soon as she comes back!” she instructed him imperiously.
Mr Astin shook his head and murmured “Shameless” with a wry smile.
Miss Straub came back just as Mr McVey entered.
Constance smiled.
"Hello Mr. McVay, take a seat anywhere. I will be right back to wait on you," she directed him.
Arabella jumped up and threw her arms around the old newspaper man and kissed him on both cheeks, à la manière des Français.
"Oh Mister McVey, how wonderful to... ow, what a rotten shave you had this morning! Say, you know Mr Cox has reopened the barber shop, you should step in there sometime!" she advised him “But please sit down! I’ve so much to tell you! I’d have bought you lunch but we’ve already eaten and paid, I’m afraid. Oh, do you know my fellow thespian, Mr Astin?”
The handsome young man rose and gave a little bow.
@[Flip]
"Yes, that would be kind of you. I would help but ...well, I'm the waitress," she stated the obvious, "Do you know your way around to the back. That alley is a bit narrow I believe." Not that she ever drove a wagon in her life.
"I'll check it out, Miss." Justus gave her a quick nod, hoping that the alley wasn't so narrow that he couldn't get the wagon through it, and would have to lug everything from the street.
"I will go tell Mrs. Lutz you have some supplies for her, she's in the kitchen,"
“Hey you”
"Thank you." Justus watched a moment as the pretty gal headed for the newcomer, telling himself that he was just waiting for the doorway to clear, and wasn't the least interested in Constance! But then someone tugged on his sleeve.
“Hey, yeah you, Hayseed.”
"Huh?" He looked down at the girl, frowning. Was she talking to him? What would some fancy-lookin' filly want with him? And...Hayseed? "Cowboy, not no farmer," he corrected.
“You know, I'm a great judge of character, and I think that girl likes you!” she confided “Why don’t you ask her out?”
"'Cause I don't know..." He'd never seen her before, so why would he ask her out? Wasn't wise to jump into such things with both feet, had to at least know her name first.
But then the girl was pushing something into his hand.
“Take her to the Theatre: here’s two free tickets. No, that’s all right, you take ‘em, quick before she comes back. All you need to do is to remember is to sit near the back with her, in the dark, and to clap real loud as soon as I come on stage, and don't stop until I hold my finger to my lips; think you can do that? Now remember, faint heart ne’re won fair lady, ask her out as soon as she comes back!”
"I..." It wasn't as simple as that, not even considering that he had a job, a ranch to be at, that he couldn't just leave on a whim. Nor did he have anything to wear to a theater...he'd never been, but weren't they fancy places? Well, there were dancehalls, but he'd surely never take a proper lady there!
And...sitting in the dark? Shameless indeed!
But he had work to do, so he crammed the tickets into his pocket, just remembering to mutter a quick, "Thank ya," before heading back to the wagon.
Turned out the alley was wide enough to accommodate the wagon, which made sense, since there were several businesses that would be getting deliveries, and it was easier than blocking the main streets.
He set the break, then stepped down and knocked on the back door. What kind of pies did they have today?
Constance informed her boss about the supply delivery from ...that one ranch...Clara was happy to hear it, well as happy as she gets. It was often hard to tell. That done the waitress went back to her duties. By then Mr. McVey was already seated, with the fancy young lady and her friend. Seemed like they knew each other well.
She felt compelled to interrupt the conversation to at least ask the man, "Would you care to order something, at least a coffee? Slice of pie?"
She had learned very early people in this town loved the bakery goods of the Lick Skillet.
There was a knock on the back door, Clara rolled her eyes, she was still in the middle of preparing the next customer's meal. But at least she knew the reason for the knocking. Hurrying over to the door, she opened it. One of Pike's ranch hands, a bit nicely dressed for it was her first impression.
"Come in, sorry I cannot help you but I'm in the middle of cooking," she informed him with a sort of smile, those were often hard for her.
"You can just put everything in the storeroom to the left there and we can take if from there," she directed.
"Oh and try not to make any unnecessary noise, I have a sleeping infant in the corner," she looked toward the crib with a swing of her head.
"Maybe if Constance doesn't have any customers currently, she can help you if you need a second pair of hands," it suddenly occurred to her.