"I think that's hilarious. Pulling off nudity here in a town this size?" How can anyone get away with such a thing?" Angie wanted to know. "Even in Chicago, which is pretty progressive, trying that would have the whole crew behind bars!"
"Outrage? From what I heard, the Kalispell Ladies Association wanted to ride her out of town on a rail. Rumor has it they considered tar and feathers, but relented for some reason nobody seems to understand." Elinor related to them. "She should have been arrested that's what should have happened."
Then Josiah jumped in the mix, "Well, I thought as risque as it was, it was quick and I doubted any real harm was done, but then as my colleague, Jonah here said, it did bring some flare to our little oasis in the mountains of Montana. Still, though, her and the producer should have been arrested for the display even though it was actually hard to see."
"And that made it alright, are you saying?" Leah questioned. "Josiah, I am appalled that you, of all people, and Jonah here, would find that permissible. I am beginning to agree with this Ladies' Association about the fence rail!" Leah roared and then decended into laughter which came to a halt when her mother said;
"Well I heard, there were a couple of boys up in the rafters that had a clear view of the whole thing!'
"Oh, well, far be it that we should stifle creativity!" Jonah laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sure it was quite the spectacle, especially for impressionable young boys!" By now, it was pretty obvious that one of those boys had been Porter James, and Jonah couldn't help but wonder who his accomplice might be.
"I suppose they were there just curious about female anatomy," he mused. "Young boys aren't privy to that sort of information, and perhaps they are considering becoming physicians. What other opportunity might they have to see...well, the nuances of a female. Isn't that right, Master Weedy?"
By now, Weedy was wishing he could be anywhere but here, but there was no escaping! And Addy wasn't helping!
"Reckon ya might be right on that, Doc," Addy commented, "unless a boy was more interested in bein' a pirate an' sailin' th' High Seas!"
"Well, Miss Chappel, even pirates need doctors!" Jonah chuckled.
"Creativity, my Aunt Fanny!" Josiah stated boldly, "It was nothing but one of Arabella's stunts to see what she could get away with. And she did! That's the sad part of the whole thing: Ben Simmons should be held accountable for the show to continue. And you can't tell me he didn't know, or at least realize what was happening."
"It sounds like the town was treated to what is being called burlesque in the East," Angie said, knowing that burlesque houses were subject to continual raids by police for breaches in the law. "But even they are clothed with just the impression of nudity."
"Yes, you are right about that. It was prevalent in Nawlins, and subject to closure and the arrest of everyone involved, like this Ben Simmons. He must be new here." Elenor deduced.
"Yes, he is. I am surprised he allowed it, and that he allowed the play to continue. I mean Adam and Eve is no girlie show!" Josiah stated. "Talk about ridin' a body out of town on a rail, I believe that qualifies!"
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"I think had it been anyone 'ides Arabeller they surely would'a been run out," Addy declared, "but since she's from here, mostly..." She shrugged. "But yer right, an' I reckon th' Good Lord'll take care'a business."
"I'm going to go check on Pops," Weedy about whispered, slinking out of his chair, "see if he wants something." And the boy was off and running before anyone could stop him.
Addy burst out laughing. "We were all young once!"
Josiah laughed at the statement, "That is surely the gospel truth. All of us, at times, were a bit on the wild side; mostly, though, I think that we just took advantage of situations that were offered. You know, like climbing up in the rafters to see a play. Which a couple of our local boys managed to accomplish. Or an apple off of someone else's tree, that sort of thing. Harmless pranks and such."
"Yes!" Angie agreed, "Never knowing what the consequences might be, and not caring until they came due on our back sides!"
"And no one seemed to get over pranks to be pulled, apples to steal, or any of a hundred little crimes that remained to be committed." Elinor chimed in, "Some of us never quite outgrew that phase and continued on in the life of dishonesty."
"Mother? Whatever do you mean?" Leah asked. It would seem that if there was a bag, Elinor had let the cat out of it.
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"Boys will be boys..." Addy frowned and shook her head. "I know boy's'er raucous, an' I don't want ta hold Weedy back." She'd been a bit of a hellion in her day, but what with all them brothers and her Pa, they kept her in line, most of the time!
"But..." She shrugged, feeling free to talk, now that Weedy had left. "Dunno...dunno sometimes how ta handle him. Want him ta grow up ta be a good man, I think I'm doin' right, then he goes an' does somethin' stupid like sneakin' inta a girlie show." Well, not exactly a 'girlie show', but still, there had been more than one sin committed that night! "An' then he goes an' fibs about it...Not so much a lie, but not th' truth, neither." Sighing, she shrugged. "I really ain't one ta be raisin' a child."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was not a girlie show until Arabella made it a girlie show!" Leah stated firmly. "I cannot fathom why the show was allowed to go on like that. How, how, could Ben Simmons tolerate that, and let it go on like he did?"
"Didn't seem there was any outrage over the burlesque, although I have to say, most shows of that type only hint at real nudity. This is what we'd call a striptease in Chicago." Josiah said, "Been here since before the war."
"Burlesque is still quite popular, as is the more vulgar striptease, though striptease is not exactly legal in Chicago either." Angie put forth.
"I doubt that it is legal here either!" Elinor said, "At least it didn't used to be. Guyer should have closed the show, is how I look at it, and people should have been in jail over the whole affair. But the boys sneaking in, they wouldn't know what Arabella did until she did it." To that, there was a murmurt of agreement.
"Pity that little girl don't got no one ta give her what fer! Ta give her a good whack on th' backside!" Addy laughed and shook her head. "Don't reckon Mr. Simmons knew what she was gonna do, an' once she was inta doin' it, well, he could make a big fuss an' put even mpre attention on her, or just left well enough alone an' hope not everyone noticed."
"I don't think anyone will trust the young woman again," Jonah put in, "although there's no indication future shows are cancelled." He was curious to test his theory, but he didn't think Leah would approve, and without all the excitement, the show would likely be flat-out boring!
"Seems to me, though, that Simmons won't be trusted as he once was because he let it proceed and 'hoped' no one noticed." Leah said, adding, "Letting her get away with her stunt says that they will do whatever they want going forward. Even Phin has let it go."
"I would say this in Ol' Phin's defense, there had been no public outcry over the incident, and that to me is much louder than the protest of the newspaper editor." Josiah put forth. "Though he certainly should have. Just as Pastor Evans should have decried the event!"
"Well, 'tis what it is. Damage is done, and Simmons is likely to have a hard time with future ticket sales after this debacle." Elinor added. "And that just might be the end result of what Arabella did."
)
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"Or sales'll go up, folks hopin' fer a little excitement!" Addy muttered, grinning slyly. After all, men were men, and if there was a chance to see a bit of naked lady under the guise of engaging in 'art'. And there were plenty of single miners and cowboys who didn't have to justify their desire to go to a play to their ladies!
"'Course, were it ta happen again, there's no doubt th' Ladies Temperance Society'll call fer tar an' feathers fer Simmons an' Arabeller!"
Jonah couldn't help but chuckle. "To think that Miss Mudd could cause such fuss...it's exactly what she wants. But you are right, she could end up with more than she bargained for." Tar and feathering wasn't a joke, it could cause serious, disfiguring injuries. "You ask me, she should take her antics to New York City."