They had arrived the day before, and the boys were still busy fixing the new place up. However, the sign above the door was already up, and blaring out to anyone who cared to turn their gaze to the once empty building to the right of Pettigrew's drapers store:

Patrick and Forde Patterson Forde & Sons & Daughters, Gentlemen's fine tailored clothing and Gentlemen & Ladies footwear.

The only member of the family who didn't get a mention on this over-long, unwieldy and frankly confusing piece of meticulously rendered signage was the Matriarch in charge of the whole operation, the person who was now knocking on the back door of the Kalispell 'Lickskillet' Diner. She was flanked by three teenage girls, two identical and one so similar as to give the impression of three triplets, one of whom had shrunk a little in the wash.

Patty Patterson Forde was clearly the mother of the three anaemic, bespectacled, washed out looking girls and, unlike them, had, perhaps, once been beautiful. She spoke in a staccato Eastern accent that was hard to place and which gave the impression that she was struggling not to cuss every third word.  

"Mrs Lutz?" she enquired when the door was eventually opened. "Sorry to bother you on a Friday evening, know it's a nuisance just when you think you can get some rest after a busy day, used to be in the eatery business myself, know how exhausting it is. Just wanted to say hello. I'm Patty Forde. These are my daughters" she jerked a thumb at the willowy trio.

The two slightly taller ones spoke in giggly twittery voices that couldn't have been more different from that of their mother. "I'm Patricia Patterson Forde..." ".... and I'm Florence Patterson Forde" and then in unison "We're the twins!" Like that wasn't obvious. One of them pointed at the shorter girl "And that's Jane" "Jane Patterson Forde!"

The girl gave Clara a weary, sympathetic smile and informed her flatly "I'm the normal one"

"Quiet you!" warned the mother. "We just moved in next to that Pettigrew feller... opened a gents tailor and cobbler. Reckon it should do all right. Just wanted to say hello, seein' as we're gonna be neighbours." she turned and looked at the girls "All right, which of you dummies got the present?"

The twins looked at each other. "Oooh, I though you had it Flo!" "Oooh, I thought you had it Patty!" "Oh Mama, what has become of it?!" they whined 

The smaller one called Jane, a satisfied little smile on her face, whipped a little box from behind her back and stepped up to Clara, it was a beautifully wrapped and ribboned box of some very nice high quality ladies handkerchiefs.

"Would ha' baked you a pie but..." the Mother gave Clara a meaningful look. That would have been like taking coals to Newcastle. The poor young woman was probably sick of the sight of pies!

Wayfarer