" ... - - - ... "
As Hector asked about 'how it had gone', he was aware that he wasn't being quite as jocular and irreverent about Mr Gibbon as he had been on the drive out; having seen the two of them together, it had all become more real. Instead of being jealous he was, gosh, what was the word? Respectful? Solicitous even. No, Justus' rivalry for Miss Constance Straub's heart would come from a quite different direction.
"Quite well, thank you. He seemed quite confident he could make the performance and we had a nice little talk, the three of us," answered the young woman.
"Threesome, huh?" Hector asked. OK, he was still being a little jocular.
"That would be myself, Justus, and Mule, his horse. Mule didn't have much to say though," she smiled, in a very good mood now.
"I thought you meant Muley Dickens for a minute!" exclaimed Hector. "He always had a lot to say."
"Well, I hope they were both perfect gentlemen and didn't try and kiss you in the back of the barn, or anything!" Hector said sternly, like an old time puritan.
Hold that critter down!
"Well, son, how'd it go?" Muley asked.
"It went all right," he muttered with a shrug, "she come ta give me a message 'bout some sorta play thing some fancy gal from back east is doin'."
"Jehoshaphat, Justus! Anyone'd think you'd been invited to escort Mrs Miggins to a funeral, length o' your face! Reckon that play'll be a right good entertainment, and you'll be walkin' in there with the prettiest gal in town on yer arm, gosh darn it!" the old feller grinned toothlessly "Well second prettiest, but the only one prettier'll be on the stage, o'course!"
Muley had developed something of a crush on Miss Eve Hardy, star of the Excelsior Theatre Company.
"So, er, what you two get up to, back o' that there barn, huh?" Muley winked, giving the younger man a suggestive nudge.
He looked at Muley. "She sat on Mule fer a bit, real good, since she's afraid'a horses."
"She sat on...?" Muley shook his head sadly, fearing for the future of mankind if this was the state of modern day sparkin'.
"Well, didn't y' try an' kiss the poor girl?!!" he blurted a little incredulously.
"Kiss her? No, why'd I do that?" Well, maybe if he was a cad! "I don't hardly know her, don't wanna scare her off, an'..." he shrugged. Kissing was for someone special, and while he liked Constance, he hadn't been around her enough to know if she was that special! Maybe after the show?
"But she is pretty pretty, ain't she?" Truth be told, he wasn't really sure how one went about courting. Sure, he'd come across gals that sparked something, but he'd never been in one place long, nor would he want to bring a gal around his pa or his pa's friends.
"Don't wanna scare her off," he repeated quietly. And maybe he didn't want to scare himself off? At any rate, he wanted to be sure about a gal before he got too close, and, well, he wasn't sure if he was even ready yet, not that those things could be planned!
Hold that critter down!
"Kiss her? No, why'd I do that?"
"Why?!" Muley looked at Gibbs and scratched his head. He couldn’t help thinking back to when he was Justus’ age, around the year 18 and 42, a wild and woolly young cowboy who’d somehow ended up from respectable beginnings in Ohio to moving cattle on the Shawnee Trail from the Red River near Preston, Texas, into the Choctaw Nation and northeast to Boggy Depot.
Boy, those were the days! Men were men and women were women: and what women! He could see them now, Barrelhouse Bessie, Languid Lil’, Indian Kate… proper shaped dames, their hair in pretty ringlets, spillin’ out of their crinolines and getting their hoops caught, displaying a well turned ankle amidst a sea of frothy white lace petticoats, and responding in kind to his rough and ready courting and carousing.
He might be too old to cut the mustard in the romance field these days, but compared to him, Justus was like a month of wet Sundays.
"I don't hardly know her, don't wanna scare her off, an'..." he shrugged. "Don't wanna scare her off," he repeated quietly.
“Well, you just watch out son; while you’re busy not scarin’ her off, some rat in town might move in and scare up a courtship with that pretty little girl!” Muley advised.
"But she is pretty pretty, ain't she?" Truth be told, he wasn't really sure how one went about courting.
Muley nodded sagely “She’s durn pretty all right, pard, and… kinda, y’know.. substantial. But, that’s how I like ‘em, good bit of flesh on ‘em, like a good three year old heifer. By crikey, I can’t stand these skinny girl’s that’s all the rage nowadays. Take that Mudd girl, all skin and bone! And those gals at the saloon: you could use the most of ‘em as an ironin’ board!” he declared, warming to his subject.
"Well, I hope they were both perfect gentlemen and didn't try and kiss you in the back of the barn, or anything!" Hector said sternly.
"No there was no kissing, by anybody. Although, Mule did slobber all over my open palm when it took the mint candy out of it," smiled Constance.
"You realize he is not my beau - Justus? We have only recently met. And then he got tickets for this play and with some less than subtle hints on my part, offered to take me to opening night," explained Constance.
"So we are hardly at the kissing stage unless things work faster here out in the Wild West," she added.
" ... - - - ... "
"No there was no kissing, by anybody."
"Oh!" commented Hector, a note of disapproval in his voice.
"Although, Mule did slobber all over my open palm when it took the mint candy out of it," smiled Constance.
"Mule, not Gibbon? Uh huh, I see." He had a funny image of the cowpoke eating a mint out of Constance's hand.
"You realize he is not my beau - Justus? We have only recently met. And then he got tickets for this play and with some less than subtle hints on my part, offered to take me to opening night," explained Constance.
"Ahhh, so you're having to do all the running, huh? Seems kind of odd, what with you being so pretty and all." the buggy driver commented. Then again, maybe that's what women wanted, a feller who couldn't be bothered with them. The old 'hard to get game'. It was a strange world.
"So we are hardly at the kissing stage unless things work faster here out in the Wild West," she added.
"They can do, look at your Mrs Lutz, that was whirlwind romance. And Mr and Mrs Pike - one minute he was washing dishes for her and the next he was walking her down the aisle." the young man pointed out.
He turned and glanced at her.
"I'd kiss you right now, only it'd be kinda an awkward ride home after you'd slapped my face!" he said in a matter-of-fact manner.
"I reckon if a kissin' time comes, I'll hop right in!" Justus chuckled, then shrugged. "I just ain't got th' means ta go courtin'. What if she can't help herself an' falls crazy in love with me? Then what? Have her sleep under my bunk?" He was kidding, of course, especially since there really wasn't a 'my' when it came to bunks, since the men slept in shifts.
"Or she can stay in town an' I can go visit her a couple'a times a month on my days off. 'Course, it'd hafta be in a shack or somethin', since I couldn't afford much."
He really was trying to take the idea of being a husband and provider to her, and he wanted to be financially secure before he thought about courting the idea of courting.
And besides, he'd only talked to Constance a couple of times...
Hold that critter down!
"I reckon if a kissin' time comes, I'll hop right in!" Justus chuckled, then shrugged.
"Comes?! I reckon one just came and went!" Dickins exclaimed, once again abhorring the Gibbs boy's sloth in romantic matters
"I just ain't got th' means ta go courtin'. What if she can't help herself an' falls crazy in love with me? Then what? Have her sleep under my bunk?"
"A woman who's real crazy in love, would!" Muley opined.
"Or she can stay in town an' I can go visit her a couple'a times a month on my days off. 'Course, it'd hafta be in a shack or somethin', since I couldn't afford much."
"Ain't you never heard of a dowry, son?" Muley asked "Sometimes a girl like that brings a whole hunk o' money along with her when she walks up the aisle. Why, you play yer cards right, you could be living in clover!"
"Well..." the old timer continued "... anyway, can't stand around here all day chewin' the cud. Things to do! Now, where's Cade today, I fixed that cinch fer 'im." Ah, now there was a young man who really felt his oats, and didn't let the grass grow under his feet! An attitude to life that old Muley could cotton to!
"So we are hardly at the kissing stage unless things work faster here out in the Wild West," Constance added.
"They can do, look at your Mrs Lutz, that was whirlwind romance. And Mr and Mrs Pike - one minute he was washing dishes for her and the next he was walking her down the aisle." the young man pointed out.
"All I know is I can definitely tell Mrs. Lutz is deeply in love with her husband. I don't know about the past here," she pointed out.
He turned and glanced at her.
"I'd kiss you right now, only it'd be kinda an awkward ride home after you'd slapped my face!" he said in a matter-of-fact manner.
"No I would not slap you because I trust you would not try to kiss a woman against her will. And, it would be against my will. You seem like a nice young man but I am not interested in you, sorry if that is frank talk but I will not ever lead anyone on," she now answered.
" ... - - - ... "
"No I would not slap you because I trust you would not try to kiss a woman against her will. And, it would be against my will. You seem like a nice young man but I am not interested in you, sorry if that is frank talk but I will not ever lead anyone on," she now answered.
Hector nodded, he'd sure misread the signals there!
"No, er, that's quite right... Miss Straub.... er... sorry." he stumbled, retreating into respectful formality. He couldn't help thinking that last half serious comment of his had put him 'beyond the Pale' with pretty Constance, he'd blotted his copybook with her.
Nice young man though, huh? Ouch! He'd been called some pretty nasty names in his time, usually by his sister, but that one took the biscuit!
They continued the rest of the journey in ruminative silence, Hector only daring to squeak out a faux surprised "Oooh, we're here!" when they reached old Joe Straub's residence. Once again he jumped off and helped Constance dismount, this time however, being careful not to touch too much and generally treated her like she was made of glass.
Maybe one day he could redeem himself in this young woman's eyes. Maybe some opportunity to do something to help her might arise.