Kate stood in front of the White Rose Theatre and took a deep breath. Her visit today was not a social one but one that was necessary. As the only teacher at the Kalispell School, it was her duty to stamp out any behaviour that would be deemed as detrimental to her students, especially if it occurred during school hours. Besides, if she didn't, she would get a lecture from the child's parents and possibly the school board asking why she didn't do anything about it.
So, here she was with the offending item in the satchel she used for work. Earlier that day, she had to break up an argument between Gilbert Edwards and Reggie McClure over a cabinet card. There was nothing wrong with cabinet cards but in this case, it was the photograph on this one that was causing the problem. If she hadn't stepped in when she did, she had no doubt that the fight would have turned into fisticuffs. After her visit to the White Rose, she would have to visit both the Edwards and McClure homes to explain why the two boys would be doing detention for the next two weeks.
Upon entering the theatre, she was directed to the owner's office. She had never met Ben Simons and all she knew about him other than the fact that he was a gambler, was that he was related to the Wentworths in some way.
Going up to the door, she knocked and waited for an answer.
(To be continued)
"Work is fine for killin' time, but it's a shaky way to make a living."
Ben had been working on his plans for a few projects he had in mind. Now that the theatre was starting to return a profit, he could concentrate on other things that would increase his financial holdings.
Opening the door, he was surprised to see that it wasn't Eve Hardy or anyone else who worked for her. Instead, it was a woman he wasn't familiar with but wouldn't mind if he was. He smiled warmly as he pulled the door open all the way to let her in.
Kate made her way in and waited for the man to return to his desk. "Mister Simons?"
Ben nodded, "Yes and I don't believe I have had the pleasure..."
"No, you haven't and after today I don't think you will," Kate said in a stern manner. There was no need to be overly familiar with the man who, in a way, jeopardised her job.
Raising his left eyebrow, Ben picked up one of the chairs and placed in front of his desk. He invited the lady to sit and as she did he went around the desk and took his seat.
Looking at the person sitting in front of him, he wondered why such a pretty girl like her would be all thorns right from the outset. "How can I help you, Miss?"
"Miss Bowen. I teach at the Kalispell School."
Ahh...the school marm. He had heard about her and the way that cad, Shade Thornton had dumped her. That was too bad...for Thornton. The man would have to have rocks in his head judging by her outward appearance. Then again, the way she had addressed him so far, there was a lot left to be desired. Maybe Thornton wasn't so dumb after all.
(To be continued)
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Meanwhile, at the back end of the theatre, the cause of all this trouble was standing upon the top rung of a tall and wobbly stepladder, painting a large and quite high canvas back-cloth. She was neither as unclad as in the offending cartes-de-visite, nor as overdressed in the latest fashions as she usually was, these days, when strolling the streets of Kalispell. Instead, she wore a plain grey smock, which had seen many a day's hard work, and an ineffective, once white, cotton pinafore, and her black hair was plaited into a pair of practical braids which dangled down on either side of her paint-splattered face.
Mrs Nightingale, the older lady in the cast, who played everybody from somebody's sweet grandmother to a whole mob of angry peasants, was simultaneously trying to steady the stepladder and grip on to Arabella's smock to steady her.
When she had joined Miss Hardy's troupe, Arabella had imagined the life of an actress to be a whole bunch of just waltzing around on stage, receiving bouquets of flowers from admiring theatre-goers, maybe reading the odd glowing review of her work, and, well, that was about it. Instead she had found a lot of hard physical work awaiting her, especially in a small provincial ensemble like The Excelsior Players. But the girl was no stranger to hard work and actually found a nice family environment as the five of them toiled away at making props, painting sets, rehearsing lines and blocking their movements on stage. Each of them constantly surprised each other with their talents: Mr Astin's carpentry prowess, Mr Darling's ability to craft quite amazing props and write original little plays for the group, Mrs Nightingale's sewing and costume making skills, Arabella's musical ability, photography expertise, and not to mention that time she amazed everybody by knowing how to construct a fake coffin for a funeral scene, and, of course, there was Miss Hardy's surprising talent for... but let us move on, time is a wasting...
"Oh Fanny, help me down will you? I need to stand back a pace from this thing to see how it's shaping up." Close up, the canvas looked rather like an impressionist painting, but from the audience's vantage point, it should look like a spooky forest setting.
"Dear me, Muddy! You've more paint on yourself than on the canvas!" Mrs Nightingale smiled, as she helped the elfin young actress down.
Katherine noted that even though the man seated on the other side of the desk was handsome, it was character that questionable. After all looks were all only part of what a person, it was what was on inside that counted as well as the way they were perceived by others. So far, all she could she perceive was that he was willing to do anything to sell seats in his theatre including the matter she had come about.
Opening her satchel, she took out the offending item. Before she handed it to him, she felt she had to say something. "Mister Simons, I understand the need to make any business financially viable but to resort to such inappropriate means is, well, very unbecoming to say the least."
She wasn't quite sure how she could but the matter delicately and so she decided to be straightforward. "Distributing photographs of naked women will only bring trouble to you or any young impressionable minds who happen to end up with one of them and that is why I am here today."
After handing over the cabinet card, she continued, "Not only did this card end up in the hands of one of my students, but it almost caused an altercation which thankfully, I stopped in time. If I had not, then this matter would have certainly escalated to a point where a great number of people would have become involved."
(To be continued)
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
The Things Boys Fight Over
"Work is fine for killin' time, but it's a shaky way to make a living."
Ben took the card and briefly looked at it before putting it down. He had no real desire to see Arabella naked again...Saturday night's shenanigans had been more than enough. Even though Arabella was a female she was still a girl and he preferred women like the one seated opposite him, if she wasn't so school teachery-like.
"Let me first say, in my defence, that Miss Mudd did this of her own accord," he said in an apologetic tone. "All I can say about the photograph is that I was told that it was Miss Mudd's interpretation of a Tableaux Vivant in the style of the sixteenth century masters, in particular, Titian."
As he waited for a response from the schoolteacher, Ben wondered if he had overplayed his hand. Eve Hardy had told him to say what he had just said to hopefully placate those who were offended by last Saturday night's performance and it seemed a plausible way to explain the cabinet card as well. However, the look that Miss Bowen was giving him now, show her scepticism.
"Hmph...that seems to be stretching just a little, don't you think?", Kate replied, "Besides who does she think she is? The next Adah Isaacs Menken?"
Seeing that Kate was not satisfied with his response, he sighed, "Look Miss Bowen, I can't control what Miss Mudd does in her spare time and how she promotes herself. Maybe you should speak to her yourself."
He got up, "If you'll just wait a moment, I'll get Miss Mudd and you can tell her about your grievance in person."
As he made his way backstage, Ben wondered if Miss Bowen was worried about more than just her job situation. It was true that schoolteachers had a reputation that had to maintain but was there something more. It was an intriguing idea and maybe he might take the time to find out what it was.
Seeing Arabella making her way down a step ladder, he was relieved to see her in a modest outfit, which would put her in a good position for what she was about to do it. He approached Arabella and said, "Miss Mudd, there is someone waiting to see you in my office on a matter of, well, let's just say, of great importance."
@ [Javia
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Seeing Arabella making her way down a step ladder, he was relieved to see her in a modest outfit, which would put her in a good position for what she was about to do it. He approached Arabella and said, "Miss Mudd, there is someone waiting to see you in my office on a matter of, well, let's just say, of great importance."
Arabella, oblivious to the serious frown on the theatre manager's face, just gave a nonchalant "All righty!" and wiped the paint off her hands on her pinafore as she walked to the office with him.
"Say, Mr. Simons, we're nearly out of green paint. Me and Mrs Nightingale think we can make it stretch for this flat if we just paint on a lot more brown branches, and maybe some red and brown leaves, like it's Fall or something, but we'll need some more pots before we get ready for the next production..." she nattered on, talking shop, as it were.
They got to the office and Arabella walked in to see a rather stiff and formal looking woman awaiting them, holding a cabinet card face down. The actress hadn't a clue who she was, but vaguely recognised the face from around town, General Store, church and what-not. Her initial assessment was that she was, what?, late 20s, 30s maybe: good looking, but maybe didn't make the most of herself.
Then again, with her stage make-up off and out of her fancy new dresses, Arabella herself was clearly rather a plain looking girl.
"Hello, I'm Arabella Mudd, oh - I'd better not shake hands, I'm all covered in paint!" the little actress said in a friendly voice "Mister Simons said you wanted to see me about something important."
Kate nodded politely as she assessed the person whose image adorned the cabinet card she was holding. Right now, dressed as she was, Kate could see that the girl would be no more than 18 years old, if younger, which in a way made her feel sorry. All the mystery, this actress was supposed to have as a woman was now gone with what could only be described as a tawdry attempt to gain attention.
"Good afternoon, Miss Mudd. As Mister Simons has said, I have come about something important," Kate said in a solemn tone.
Realising that Ben wasn't going to introduce her properly, she continued, "I'm Katherine Bowen, and I teach at the Kalispell School. What I have come to discuss is the reckless disregard you have for those who are young and impressionable to obtain copies of inappropriate materials such as this."
She handed over the cabinet card and waited for a response.
@ [Javia
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"I'm Katherine Bowen, and I teach at the Kalispell School."
"Howd'ya do, Miss Bowen!" Arabella smiled nicely and bobbed a little curtsy.
"What I have come to discuss is the reckless disregard you have for those who are young and impressionable to obtain copies of inappropriate materials such as this."
She handed over the cabinet card and waited for a response.
Arabella had the quickness and the slyness of a fox, she took the picture and went wide eyed in feigned horror and shock.
"Oh no!!" she gasped, and then turning the card around, showed the nude albumen print to Ben "Please don't tell me that you've seen this too, Mister Simons?!" she asked pleadingly, even as she gave him a good long flash of it, as if that were the greatest disaster in the world. She looked again at the picture of herself and nodded sadly, biting her lip, then back up at Miss Bowen.
"Miss Bowen, I was assured that these... artistic prints would only be sold discretely to gentleman connoisseurs. The idea that these shameful images have been gazed upon by the young folk in your care has made me realise that I have have done a very wrong thing." she said contritely.
Then suddenly, she threw herself on her knees before the starchy schoolmarm, just like she had done when she played Desdemona in Othello.
"Oh, Miss Bowen... I don't expect you to forgive me for what I've done... all for the vile rewards of base notoriety and filthy lucre... I only beg that you will allow me to try and make this better somehow. Please, anything I can do, tell me, your word shall be my command! Or if you think it fitting that I should pay for my sins, then punish me! No chastisement, no humiliation, can be too great for the trespass I have committed!"
You had to admit, Arabella sure could throw herself into a role, she actually had tears in her eyes as she looked up pleadingly into the school mistress' stern but beautiful face.
It took a lot for Kate not to burst out laughing at the display she was seeing now. She bit her tongue and took a deep breath, "Miss Mudd, will you please stand up...you're making a spectacle of yourself."
For his part, Ben just rolled his eyes at Arabella's attempt to placate the schoolteacher. If he had known that she was going to perform this afternoon, he would have sold tickets. As for Miss Bowen, he wasn't quite sure but he could almost swear that...well he saw something and whatever it was it would give him a lot to think about for some time to come.
Kate, on her part, knew she had to act in a way that was expected of schoolteacher. She needed her job and wasn't about to lose it on the account of some upstart actress who obviously thought nothing of the consequences of her actions. She had to make sure that this would never happen again.
@ [Javia