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Sagas of the Wild West
Buggy Wonderland — In-Character Archives

Buggy Wonderland March 4, 1877
Tagged
A lift for Constance

" ... - - - ... "

5'10
Posted Aug 13, 2024 at 3:27 PM

“Anybody ever tell you that you’re beautiful when you’re angry, Miss Stroud?”

She had to chuckle just a little, "No, no one has ever told me that. Perhaps because I do not get angry all that much."

“You surprise me!” he joked.

"But thank you even if I doubt you are completely sincere about it," she added, knowing he was just trying to butter her up.

“I never tell a lie, Miss Stroud” he said, placing his hand on his heart. Again, that was presumably a lie. If everybody told the truth all the time, the world would probably go up in flames.

"So my turn for questions then. You are a handsome lad yourself…”

“True” nodded Heck, in mock immodesty.

“…well spoken…”

“Yup!”

“… obviously intelligent.”

“Glad you picked up on that, not everybody does.” He nodded. She was not hindered by his jocularity.

“Do you not have a young lady you are currently courting? I have heard things happen quicker out here than back East. Why look at my employer, Mrs. Lutz. She can't be much older than you, I would hazard a guess, and she is already married and has a baby."

“Yes, sometimes things happen a little too quickly. Oh, er, not Mrs Lutz…” he added quickly. One of those little white lies – he knew the marriage had been a rush job, if not exactly a shot-gun affair. “… I mean I thought I had an arrangement with a young lady, a little while ago, but I guess she got tired of me pretty swiftly.” He didn’t disclose Miriam’s name.

"Come to think of it, I believe you and Miss Mudd would make a fine couple. Unless that man she was with the other day is her beau? I thought he was just another actor escorting her about though," she smiled.

“Arabella?!” he laughed “Marry an actress?! What would Mother say?!!” he shook his head. “Maybe I could take her as my mistress, that’s what those big shot millionaires back East do, isn’t it, marry respectable and then take a famous actress or opera singer as their mistress?” He deftly kept the Virginian girl's sapphic secret, better than she kept it herself.

“You're probably right, the feller she was with was most likely another actor… what’s the feller’s name? Austin? Astin? Young feller, good looking? He’s the one they put on stage to get the old maids’ hearts palpitating.” He laughed. He was telling Constance a lot, but not as much as he wasn’t telling her. For a inveterate gossip, he was pretty good at keeping his friends’ secrets. Arabella and Astin were each other’s ‘beard’.

“Nah, the girl I really like, you know, if I had my druthers, is Anaesthesia Orr. But she’s awful snobby, wouldn’t really give me the time of day. And to think I used to pull her pigtails at school and swim nekkid with her in the lake! Oh well, people change, I guess. She was awful decent to Jemima when she was in jail, though, organised her a lawyer and visited her and took her books and things. Funny; they hated each other at school” he shrugged.

He suddenly had a thought.

“Oh say, what’s the name of this feller of yours we’re going to see? We’ll have to ask after him, he’ll probably be out on the range someplace. These cowpokes don’t just sit around the ol’ bunkhouse singing songs about doggies all day, you know.” he smiled.

Wayfarer

Telegraph Operator
Role
Secondary
Nickname
Heck to some
Birthdate
12/25/1856
Height
5'10
Hair
Black
Eyes
Brown
Playby
Lucas Jade Zumann
Played By

5'4
Posted Aug 14, 2024 at 9:33 AM

He pompously declared he'd never tell a lie. Constance laughed, "You and General Washington."

She then complimented him, leading up to a planned question. He was either cheeky or very conceited. So she then asked whether he had a girlfriend, doubting he did as he was obviously flirting with her.

He admitted to having had one but they broke up. It happened to most folk, she reasoned.

She then suggested Miss Mudd.

Arabella?!” he laughed “Marry an actress?! What would Mother say?!!” he shook his head. “Maybe I could take her as my mistress, that’s what those big shot millionaires back East do, isn’t it, marry respectable and then take a famous actress or opera singer as their mistress?”

"Sometimes, my father has a mistress...though come to think of it he might have jettisoned her by now too," she guessed.

“Nah, the girl I really like, you know, if I had my druthers, is Anaesthesia Orr. But she’s awful snobby, wouldn’t really give me the time of day. And to think I used to pull her pigtails at school and swim nekkid with her in the lake! Oh well, people change, I guess. She was awful decent to Jemima when she was in jail, though, organised her a lawyer and visited her and took her books and things. Funny; they hated each other at school”

"Swim naked? Interesting," Constance grinned, "You are a bold one. Oh, and what a name, poor thing. You'd think she'd have a nickname or something. I even have one in the family and my name is not difficult."

“Oh say, what’s the name of this feller of yours we’re going to see? We’ll have to ask after him, he’ll probably be out on the range someplace. These cowpokes don’t just sit around the ol’ bunkhouse singing songs about doggies all day, you know.” he smiled.

"Justus Gibbs...or maybe Gibbons? I only heard it once. He is taking me to the theatre. Miss Mudd gave him two tickets," Constance revealed, obviously quite happy about it.

 

Miss
Role
Primary
Nickname
Penny
Birthdate
08/20/1858
Height
5'4
Hair
Brown
Eyes
Blue
Playby
Jella Haase
Played By

" ... - - - ... "

5'10
Posted Aug 14, 2024 at 11:01 AM

He pompously declared he'd never tell a lie. Constance laughed, "You and General Washington."

“Hey, I never went near that cherry tree!” he countered.

Their talk was becoming easier, less constrained. He was a little shocked when she said her father had a mistress, though he didn’t let it show. She was equally interested in his aquatic expeditions with the snooty Miss Orr.

"Swim naked? Interesting," Constance grinned, "You are a bold one.”

He shrugged.

“Eight or nine years ago, there wasn’t a lot to see; but I reckon the landscape’s changed considerably since then.” he said, somewhat dreamily.

“Oh, and what a name, poor thing. You'd think she'd have a nickname or something. I even have one in the family and my name is not difficult."

“We used to call her Amnesia, ‘cause she could never remember any of the answers in class. Funny though: her Mama was our school mistress, and she always came out top of the class” he remembered.

“So what’s your nickname? Oh… and say, what’s the name of this feller of yours we’re going to see? We’ll have to ask after him, he’ll probably be out on the range someplace. These cowpokes don’t just sit around the ol’ bunkhouse singing songs about doggies all day, you know.” he smiled.

"Justus Gibbs...or maybe Gibbons? I only heard it once. He is taking me to the theatre. Miss Mudd gave him two tickets," Constance revealed, obviously quite happy about it.

“You don’t know his name?!” Hector chuckled. “Oh boy. Well, as long as he doesn’t look like a Gibbon – if that was the case he’d be better of taking my sister to the theatre, at least their faces would match” he joked, rather cruelly. “Someone as pretty as you needs to be accompanied by some handsome feller or other,… like me.”

His tone was light-hearted, though, flirtatious, it wasn’t a heavy ‘come on’ by any stretch of the imagination.

Telegraph Operator
Role
Secondary
Nickname
Heck to some
Birthdate
12/25/1856
Height
5'10
Hair
Black
Eyes
Brown
Playby
Lucas Jade Zumann
Played By

5'4
Posted Aug 20, 2024 at 9:59 AM

“You don’t know his name?!” Hector chuckled. “Oh boy. Well, as long as he doesn’t look like a Gibbon – if that was the case he’d be better of taking my sister to the theatre, at least their faces would match” he joked, rather cruelly.

"Hey! Be nice to your sister. Don't do that," Constance chided him as she elbowed him playfully not maliciously.

“Someone as pretty as you needs to be accompanied by some handsome feller or other,… like me.”

"High opinion of yourself I see," she glanced his way, "I will have you know Gibbs or Gibbon...whatever...is plenty handsome enough. Bit rough around the edges maybe but he's a cowboy not some sophisticated townie like yourself."

"Oh and he is going to teach me to ride.........you know, a horse," she announced, looking rather pleased about it all.

Then, with a devilish grin on her pert features, she added, "Plus he talked about some nice waterfall on their place which means water of course. So maybe we will do some swimming like you and Amnesia."

 

Miss
Role
Primary
Nickname
Penny
Birthdate
08/20/1858
Height
5'4
Hair
Brown
Eyes
Blue
Playby
Jella Haase
Played By

" ... - - - ... "

5'10
Posted Aug 20, 2024 at 10:37 AM

"High opinion of yourself I see," she glanced his way.

"Well, why fight the truth?" Hector shrugged, with mock immodesty. 

"I will have you know Gibbs or Gibbon..."

Hector let out a genuine bark of laughter at the repetition of what, after all, wasn't even Justus' actual name.

"... whatever...is plenty handsome enough. Bit rough around the edges maybe but he's a cowboy not some sophisticated townie like yourself."

"Sophisticated?!" Hector repeated "Please, Miss Stroud, stop with these compliments or I might just fall in love with you." 

It was quite proper that she didn't reply to that.

"Oh and he is going to teach me to ride.........you know, a horse," she announced, looking rather pleased about it all.

"Well that's wonderful, you'll be able to get bow legs, just like him!" Hector informed her, playing on the traditional, and oft times accurate image of a typical cowpoke's undercarriage. 

Then, with a devilish grin on her pert features, she added, "Plus he talked about some nice waterfall on their place which means water of course. So maybe we will do some swimming like you and Amnesia."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"Just don't get in over your head, Miss Stroud" he offered the advice quietly, not laughing this time. he perked up again, into his usual cheerful bantering mode. 

"Say, I'd better stop making fun of your feller; if he's a cowhand he'll have a six-shooter, and I don't fancy the idea of being ventilated anytime soon."

Wayfarer

Telegraph Operator
Role
Secondary
Nickname
Heck to some
Birthdate
12/25/1856
Height
5'10
Hair
Black
Eyes
Brown
Playby
Lucas Jade Zumann
Played By

5'4
Posted Aug 22, 2024 at 3:37 PM

Hector was in a good mood, that much was obvious, kidding around.

Then, with a devilish grin on her pert features, Constance declared, "Plus he talked about some nice waterfall on their place which means water of course. So maybe we will do some swimming like you and Amnesia."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"Just don't get in over your head, Miss Stroud" he offered the advice quietly, not laughing this time. he perked up again, into his usual cheerful bantering mode.

"Oh, I am quite capable of taking care of myself. You need not trouble yourself," she assured him, Constance seldom lacked for confidence.

"Say, I'd better stop making fun of your feller; if he's a cowhand he'll have a six-shooter, and I don't fancy the idea of being ventilated anytime soon."

"Now, I don't know much about the frontier and cowboys and their gunplay but he doesn't strike me as having a temper. Plus is it not illegal to shoot any unarmed man?"

She looked at him, "Or are you carrying a sidearm?"

 

Miss
Role
Primary
Nickname
Penny
Birthdate
08/20/1858
Height
5'4
Hair
Brown
Eyes
Blue
Playby
Jella Haase
Played By

" ... - - - ... "

5'10
Posted Aug 24, 2024 at 4:44 AM

"Now, I don't know much about the frontier and cowboys and their gunplay but he doesn't strike me as having a temper. Plus is it not illegal to shoot any unarmed man?"

"Well, it's more illegal for some people than others" he replied cynically, then he went into his impersonation of Judge Townsend, whom he had ample time to observe during his sisters 'trial'.

"Now let's see, who did the shooting? Justus the Gibbon, ah, yes, fine upstanding young simian, great taste in women, a relation of General Gibbon, I think, yeah, I like him! Who'd he shoot? Hector Wigfall? That darn idiot?! He was probably pitching woo to Gibbon's beautiful young fiancé! Hang Wigfall and give the Gibbon a banana as a reward for good sense!" he declared.

"Nah, I think your feller's gonna be quite within his rights to blow my fool head off." 

She looked at him, "Or are you carrying a sidearm?"

Hector shook his head and reached behind him, pulling out a large heavy looking revolver.

"It's more by way of a back-of-the-buggy-arm. Big sis lent it me, one of her spares. Wish I knew how it works..." he sighed, straight faced "Still, might come in handy if we run across road-agents or get caught up in this blood bath of a range war, or Injuns. I should warn you, Miss Stroud, that Injuns do terrible things to women, so if it looks like we're gonna be captivated by 'em, I'll save a last bullet and..." he looked serious and troubled "... use it on myself, so I don't have to watch what they do to you."

It was no good, he cracked a massive grin.

He looked ahead.

"Ah, look - the Rockin' P sign, we're nearly there."

Wayfarer

 

Telegraph Operator
Role
Secondary
Nickname
Heck to some
Birthdate
12/25/1856
Height
5'10
Hair
Black
Eyes
Brown
Playby
Lucas Jade Zumann
Played By

5'4
Posted Aug 24, 2024 at 9:21 AM

Constance couldn't help but chuckle at the young man's humorous take on some local judge. She still didn't know all the details, she might ask Clara later but it did sound like Hector's sister was railroaded. But then she was a woman and men ruled things be it out here or back East. And all thru history come to think of it.

"Sorry again for what happened to your sister. I do know Mrs. Lutz utterly despises Mr. Steelgrave. He sounds very...shootable," she replied.

She wondered if he had a gun, sure enough he produced a big pistol. Her father had a derringer and also a long barreled hunting rifle. He shot targets with it - Cincinnati was no frontier like out in Montana.

"It's more by way of a back-of-the-buggy-arm. Big sis lent it me, one of her spares. Wish I knew how it works..." he sighed, straight faced.

"Really?" Constance went wide eyed. One just pulls the trigger, she knew that much.

"Still, might come in handy if we run across road-agents or get caught up in this blood bath of a range war, or Injuns. I should warn you, Miss Stroud, that Injuns do terrible things to women, so if it looks like we're gonna be captivated by 'em, I'll save a last bullet and..." he looked serious and troubled "... use it on myself, so I don't have to watch what they do to you."

Luckily he grinned for she was about to round on him for such cowardly behavior. But despite the joking, Constance was more than a bit frightened of meeting Indians some day. My lord, they had wiped out Custer's whole army or regiment or whatever it was called.

"Be careful that when those Injuns come for us, I don't wrestle that pistol away from you, and shoot you!" she snapped but the twinkle in her eye and immediate chuckle showed she was going along with the joke.

"Ah, look - the Rockin' P sign, we're nearly there."

She nodded, "Excellent. Now I just have to hope my cowboy is there."

Constance suddenly felt nervous.

 

Miss
Role
Primary
Nickname
Penny
Birthdate
08/20/1858
Height
5'4
Hair
Brown
Eyes
Blue
Playby
Jella Haase
Played By

Hold that critter down!

5' 6
Posted Aug 24, 2024 at 4:01 PM

Muley was out front when the buggy rolled up, fixing some broken cinches. Never seen the young lady before, but the young fellow at the reins looked vaguely familiar, seen him in town some time or other when the old man had been sent into Kalispell to pick up supplies or some such.

He stood and made his way toward the vehicle with a rolling bow legged gait, typical of an old-time cowboy, long in the saddle, as it pulled up, and took his hat off to the lady.  

"Howdy folks, you looking fer Mr. or Mrs Pike?" he asked. 

Hector nodded. 

"Howdy, I'm Hector Wigfall, Western Union, got a message here for Mrs Pike and the Post Office sent along a parcel that's arrived for her. This here's Miss Stroud, she's here to see Justus..." he didn't risk the surname "... he around?"

Muley Dickens couldn't resist a mischievous smile, he'd been young himself once, and turned his twinkling eyes on the girl.

"Well, yer in luck Missy; everybody else is out on the range today, but young Gibbsy said he'd stay back an' help me out with some fixin' needs doing. By gum, that's luck! Just hold on there, a second, Missy."

He turned and put his fingers in his mouth, and made a shrill whistle. "Hey, Gibbsy! C'mon round here! Y'got a visitor! Mighty nice one too, by golly."

Hector could barely contain his mirth, but when Constance's young man eventually appeared, Hector had to admit, in a low voice to the girl "Hey... he looks almost human."

Bongo 

Wayfarer 

Mr
Role
Secondary
Birthdate
12/29/1821
Height
5' 6
Eyes
Blue
Playby
Al St. John
Played By

6'0
Posted Aug 24, 2024 at 11:37 PM

Gibbsy!  Justus hated that, but he knew there was no malice in the old man calling him that, and besides, he knew if he protested, Muley would just come on even stronger and really drive him nuts!

 

"Yeah?" he called from the barn, where he'd taken a break from mending harness to go up into the loft to drop flakes of hay into the horse stalls below.  He was actually glad that he had a day in the barn, out of the elements, where a heavy canvas work shirt sufficed, and he could leave his bulky 'warm' coat in the bunkhouse!

 

"C'mon round here! Y'got a visitor! Mighty nice one too, by golly."

 

A nice visitor?  Justus frowned as he hopped down the ladder, trying to puzzle out who that might be, and praying that Miss Hettie hadn't tracked him down! 

 

"Yeah, who is it?"  The change of lighting as he stepped out of the dark barn caused him to squint, so that it took a moment to make out the occupants of the buggy in the drive.

 

"Miss Constance?"  He broke into a grin, not contemplating that he really wasn't in any shape to have a lady caller, what with being dirty and disheveled from the day's work.  "How are ya doin'?"  What could she want with him?

Role
Primary
Birthdate
05/31/1858
Height
6'0
Hair
Brown
Eyes
Brown
Playby
Robert Carridine
Played By