This was the first time that they had left Wheeler, and Emeline was trying her best to set aside her worries. After all, she trusted the Andersons completely, the elderly couple had raised a dozen or so of their own children, and were level-headed. Still, she had to force herself to relax.
She had Barnabas had come to town early, so as not to impose on the young cowhands and their date...after all, it was bad enough that their boss was going to be at the shindig, but it would have been worse had they come to town together!
Besides, this was going to be a romantic get-away, so they'd taken a room at the hotel for the night, and after the play they were going to have dinner there as well.
Dressed in one of the evening gowns she'd bought in San Francisco, Emeline strolled with Barnabas toward the theater, smiling as she spotted Justus and Cade. "There are the boys...they look good, don't they? They'll have all the girls swooning!"
Cade did not have a lot of clothing and what he did own was all practical work outfits. He did not even have going to Sunday services garb. He wasn't one to attend any church anyways. But what he did wear was clean, his boots were shined so now they were shiny old boots, and since his hat was so beat up, he decided to go without one. Another ranch hand trimmed his hair a bit so it was not unkempt and of course he had taken a nice hot bath. He didn't even need to shave, he really didn't have facial hair still, which some of the hands teased him about.
Cade had debated taking his gun along, in a holster for certain, but in the end thought that might not sit well with his date. He barely knew this Sally who had pretty much cajoled him into asking her out. But she seemed on the surface, a decent enough gal. So she worked at a saloon, he was not some social class snob. So here he was, along with Justus, at their first theatre show. How bad could it be?
"There it is," Justus said to his companion, nodding toward the theater, not that it was necessary.
"Sure enough, looks like half the town has showed up too," Cade's eyes searched those outside the doors, no sign of Sally.
He did spot the big advert, left little to the imagination alright. He smiled at Justus who had seen it also. Just shrugged back at him.
"Looks...interestin'. Hopefully, it won't be too horrible." They stopped and tied their horses a block away from the building to walk the rest of the way. "Maybe some hooligans'll shoot up th' town an' spare us!
"Horrible? Oh come on, we both get to spend time with these gals. I don't see that as horrible. Even if the show ain't so good," Cade scoffed.
"I don't see'em. Wouldn't that be something if they up and changed their minds and don't show?"
"Oh, but ya see," Justus explained as they walked toward the theater, "if someone starts shootin' up the place, why, then, we'd hafta protect those ladies..." He grinned and whispered, "Shield 'em, of course, with our bodies..." Sounded better to him than listening to some old hag ramble on in a language he didn't understand! "We'd be heroes!"
Quite the crowd was here, so they were shuffled along with others as they entered the theater lobby, but he did manage to spot the girls. "Over there." He pointed, then started that way. "Pretty, ain't they?"
At Josiah's badgering, Jonah had invested in a new suit, fine woolen trousers and coat, a brocade vest and silk ascot. He drew the line, though, at a top hat, and instead was wearing a bowler. Still and all, this was the fanciest he'd been in since arriving at Kalispell.
"This is going to be quite the evening," he commented to Josiah as they entered the hotel to meet their companions. "Miss Mudd is quite the actress, though, I can attest to that!" The girl was drama personified, and it had to be worse, now that she had a stage and an audience! "But, at least it's a change of pace, nothing bad with that."
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
Not missing the girl's reaction for what it was, Alice replied, "Yes I am that woman. And, although there is no date just yet, I can say, most likely this June. Can't have the Marshal living in sin now, can we."
“Oh how wonderful” drawled Anaesthesia insincerely “I’m so glad to hear it isn’t having to be done in a hurry, like poor Clara Redmond’s wedding last year” she added, snidely.
Her smile was far from one of friendship, the impression she had was that Miss Orr believed herself entitled and above most folks in town. "Mister Reeve, A pleasure." She added politely, offering her hand.
He took and gave it a gentlemanly kiss.
Then he looked more seriously at the Marshall.
“I was going to come and see you about it tomorrow... in more suitable surroundings”
“Oh! I do hope I haven’t let the cat out of the bag, Lewis dearest!” Anaesthesia simpered apologetically. He shook his head a little wearily and continued to talk to Guyer.
“Not many of the witnesses will be able to get to Helena for the trial, there’ll have to be signed affidavits instead, and believe me, a written statement is a mighty hard thing to put under cross examination!”
Anaesthesia smiled her crocodile smile at Alice “Oh, don’t you just get so confused when the men talk business, I know it makes me quite dizzy.”
Caroline chuckled at Brendan's assessment, "I doubt you'd get many folk to agree with you on that point but fuck'em, like we care, right?"
She'd already got a couple of dirty looks from some of the theatre goers in the lobby. Actually she would normally have not gone at all but for two things. She wanted to support Arabella and Brendan had asked her to go. She however made a point to wear her best red dress with lowest neckline showing plenty of cleavage. Yeah, she liked shocking the proper folk.
"Oh! Look, it's Caroline! Er, that's Miss Mundee, she works at the saloon with me, and that's her boyfriend Brendan Connolly..." Sally informed Constance,"... now he's real dreamy. Mmmmm. He can give me the fidgets any day of the week!"
She waved over at the couple, who looked, it had to be admitted, like fish out of water in this gathering.
"Ooo-eee! Caroline!! CAROLINE!!! Look, it's me! Over here!" She turned excitedly to Constance "I'll introduce you!" she grinned, then a worried look creased her brow and she quickly whispered to the beautifully clad Cinderella of a waitress "Don't tell 'em what I said about me havin' the hoosits for Mr Connolly, though!" she added, hopping up and down excitedly, like someone who needed the toilet.
Constance wished the girl would tone it down but didn't have the heart to chide her about it.
"Yes, I won't breathe a word. Oh and I already know Caroline, she stops into the diner to pick up pies fairly regular," Constance pointed out.
Caroline nudged Brendan, "We better go over there before Sally gets herself thrown out for disturbing the peace."
As they made their way thru the throng, one older woman snipped, "You should have stayed in your place!"
Caroline just smirked, "And you should just shrivel up and die." But the pair kept walking til they reached the two ladies.
"Sally...Constance."
“Oh how wonderful” drawled Anaesthesia insincerely “I’m so glad to hear it isn’t having to be done in a hurry, like poor Clara Redmond’s wedding last year” she added, snidely.
Alice did her best not to react to the statement, there was a time, she understood, that Anaesthesa Orr had been a sweet young lady, not give to pettiness, nor snide remakes and someone's expense. Obviously, she had changed. "No, not rushing into anything for any reason. Just taking our time, you understand, so many things going on with the mines and his job as Marshal." Meanwhile Lewis was saying;
“I was going to come and see you about it tomorrow... in more suitable surroundings” He seemed less than impressed with his date for the evening's behavior.
"Well, yes, but then, here we are, and I certainly would entertain anything you might want to say about this upcoming trial. Helena is quite a ways away from our little town here." Speed replied easily, he wanted to help if he could, and he wanted to hear the man knowing he was going to need an attorney and Cole Latham was most certainly not the man he had in mind.
It was then that Miss Orr chose to interrupt saying; “Oh! I do hope I haven’t let the cat out of the bag, Lewis dearest!” But Lewis continued without replying to her.
“Not many of the witnesses will be able to get to Helena for the trial, there’ll have to be signed affidavits instead, and believe me, a written statement is a mighty hard thing to put under cross examination!”
"I can see where that could pose quite the problem, and those in Helena know firely little about us here. Why they chose to try her there is a mystery. But such is the situation. How can I be of help?" Speed answered, not quite understanding how this situation had developed, but willing to help where and how he could.
Anaesthesia smiled her crocodile smile at Alice “Oh, don’t you just get so confused when the men talk business, I know it makes me quite dizzy.”
"Oh no, not at all. I find it quite interesting most of the time." Alice responded san a smile of any type. "Is Mister Reeve courting you, or simply an escort for the evening? He seems to be a nice young man."
"The Law may very well 'be an ass', but a man can travel a mighty long way on an ass."
"I can see where that could pose quite the problem, and those in Helena know fairly little about us here. Why they chose to try her there is a mystery. But such is the situation. How can I be of help?" Speed answered, not quite understanding how this situation had developed, but willing to help where and how he could.
Reeve looked out of answers before he’d begun. “To be honest, I’d be grateful for anything at this point.” He shook his head. “The ironic thing is, they’re trying her there under the excuse that a Kalispell Jury would be biased against her… but at least some folk around here must have helped her at the time.” His eyes flicked around the room. Zenobia Matthews hadn’t just disappeared in a puff of smoke last year… she’d had help.
Anaesthesia smiled her crocodile smile at Alice “Oh, don’t you just get so confused when the men talk business, I know it makes me quite dizzy.”
"Oh no, not at all. I find it quite interesting most of the time." Alice responded sans a smile of any type. "Is Mister Reeve courting you, or simply an escort for the evening? He seems to be a nice young man."
A rather annoying giggle escaped Miss Orr’s perfect little lips.
“Oh, no, silly! Lewis is my cousin!” she revealed, like she was explaining something to a five-year-old. “It’s such a comfort that he lives with mother and me; we’d just be two helpless ladies without him, one feels so unsafe with this strangler person around.”
So far the idea of an overnight getaway had gone smoothly enough, arriving early, getting a room and dinner reservations for after the show Changing into evening clothes, which neither had worn since Virginia City in Nevada before that long trip home.
There was something about being dressed up that appealed to Pike, more so than ever before. In Oregon, San Francisco, and Virginia City, it had just seemed normal, but here in Kalispell, well, somehow, that was different. Here he was Deputy Pike, a gunman on the side of the law. Yet, there he was. strolling along the boardwalk with his bride, the mother of his son, and proud as a peacock!
He walked up to the ticket window where tickets would be waiting, per his earlier reservations. A new production had most all of Kalispell turning out. He was smiling when Em stated;
"There are the boys...they look good, don't they? They'll have all the girls swooning!"
"No doubt, and they don't look bad all shined up for this swaray." He replied, "But me? I got the real prize." He bragged, "An' there' Speed with the lawyer fella what took over for ol man Orr after he passed. Maybe we'll avoid that for the moment. et 'em get at whatever it is their jawin' about." Then, as if a light came on, "I'm sorry, Em. I sound like, well, like I have no better way of speaking, and that does you a disservice. Not like I'm out on the range with the boys."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
“To be honest, I’d be grateful for anything at this point.” He shook his head. “The ironic thing is, they’re trying her there under the excuse that a Kalispell Jury would be biased against her… but at least some folk around here must have helped her at the time.”
"I believe you have a very valid point, Lewis. And maybe we can get something done about this." Speed agreed, "There would be those with a more intimate knowledge of her situation with her father than either of us, that's for sure. Now why and how she vanished is a true mystery."
Meanwhile
A rather annoying giggle escaped Miss Orr’s perfect little lips.
“Oh, no, silly! Lewis is my cousin!” she revealed, like she was explaining something to a five-year-old. “It’s such a comfort that he lives with mother and me; we’d just be two helpless ladies without him, one feels so unsafe with this strangler person around.”
Alice almost shuddered at the statement about her and her mother. And your mother? How is she? I don't see her here tonight, not that I was looking for her and an escort, you understand. Just that she would be hard to miss in this crowd." And that was the truth, the woman could dress!
Javia