Josiah grinned as he got up to follow Jonah and Weedy out to the parlor, "Nope, he ain't. Nor does he resemble the man I first encountered, either. I'd say you've been good for each other, if you don't mind me sayin' as much. Folks about town have seen it as well, in both of you."
Elinor broke out laughing, "Well you're certainly not the spoiled brat I left behind. Stubborn, yes, but far from the girl I left here. I apologize, Leah. I'll find a way to make it up to you, but it seems Doctor Danforth took care of that as well, whether he meant to or not."
"I need a drink," Jonah muttered as the three men...well, two, and a boy...escaped to the parlor. While it was set up as an office, there was a desk, and concealed in one of the bottom drawers was a bottle of good whisky and a few shot-glasses. These, he extricated before sinking into a chair.
"I had no intention..." Shaking his head, he poured amber liquid into three glasses, one with barely a finger's width in it. "Miss Steelegrave is..." He shook his head again as he set the glasses around, including Weedy. Best the lad get his first taste among elders. "I never thought I would ever meet a woman who...well, never had any intention of romance, in any form."
He took a sip of whisky, then added, "None of this leaves this room, right?" He looked pointedly at Weedy.
Proud to be included among the 'men', Weedy nodded enthusiastically, picking up the glass and sniffing it curiously before taking a tiny sip. The boy's nose wrinkled up as he started sputtering!
Josiah grinned as he got up to follow Jonah and Weedy out to the parlor, "Nope, he ain't. Nor does he resemble the man I first encountered, either. I'd say you've been good for each other, if you don't mind me sayin' as much. Folks about town have seen it as well, in both of you."
"I would hope so, Doctor, I mean, I have been trying," Leah replied, fairly aware of a change in attitude by most of the citizens in town. "Championing a hospital and seeing it through has a way of getting people's attention." She smiled as the men left the room.
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Elinor broke out laughing, "Well you're certainly not the spoiled brat I left behind. Stubborn, yes, but far from the girl I left here. I apologize, Leah. I'll find a way to make it up to you, but it seems Doctor Danforth took care of that as well, whether he meant to or not."
"There's no need of that, honestly. We'll certainly see what we can build once the hospital is done and that may not be all that far away either." Leah responded.
Meanwhile:
"I need a drink," Jonah muttered as the three men...well, two, and a boy...escaped to the parlor. While it was set up as an office, there was a desk, and concealed in one of the bottom drawers was a bottle of good whisky and a few shot-glasses. These, he extricated before sinking into a chair.
"Now that would be a handy thing to have were you to have a wife that would rather you didn't imbibe, which you won't, near as i can tell," Josiah said cordially.
"I had no intention..." Shaking his head, he poured amber liquid into three glasses, one with barely a finger's width in it. "Miss Steelegrave is..." He shook his head again as he set the glasses around, including Weedy. Best the lad get his first taste among elders. "I never thought I would ever meet a woman who...well, never had any intention of romance, in any form."
"No one ever does, Jonah. Not that I'm aware of. These things seem to grow over time, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but they always materialize if they're meant to be."
He took a sip of whisky, then added, "None of this leaves this room, right?" He looked pointedly at Weedy.
Proud to be included among the 'men', Weedy nodded enthusiastically, picking up the glass and sniffing it curiously before taking a tiny sip. The boy's nose wrinkled up as he started sputtering!
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
Elinor broke out laughing, "Well you're certainly not the spoiled brat I left behind. Stubborn, yes, but far from the girl I left here. I apologize, Leah. I'll find a way to make it up to you, but it seems Doctor Danforth took care of that as well, whether he meant to or not."
"There's no need of that, honestly. We'll certainly see what we can build once the hospital is done and that may not be all that far away either." Leah responded.
"So ya've both been good fer each other?" Addy chuckled. "Ain't that th' way it's supposed ta work? Been somethin' ta watch ya both changin', an' it's real good fer th' town." Then she laughed. "It's really somethin' ta see th' way ol' Jonah's fightin' it, though. Poor man sometimes looks like he's gonna loose his supper when yer around!"
Rushing back to retrieve his pipe, Josiah commented, "Yes, and that is a fact! Like she said, it's not just been good for the both of you; it has been good for the town in many a small ways, but I also think that the changes have given hope. Hope of something bigger and better on the horizon." And with that, he dashed off again, as best he could dash.
"Yes I would agree. The determination of these two about the hospital is what the hope is all about. The town is far from dying, it is growing. Yes, the railroad is coming, but Lord knows when that'll be. The hospital says we're growing! Elinor was firm in stating.
"We have quite a ways to go yet, but yes, you're right. Not to brag, but the construction has sent a message about Kalispell and what is happening here." Leah pointed out.
)
"Yes, and that is a fact!" Josiah commented, "Like she said, it's not just been good for the both of you, it has been good for the town in many a small ways, but I also think that the changes have given hope. Hope of something bigger and better on the horizon."
"Hope I can live up to it." Jonah took another swig of the whisky, then glanced at Weedy. "Watch out for the good women, son, they'll twist you all in knots and you won't even realize it until it's too late!"
Wide-eyed, Weedy nodded. "I'm never getting married, or even messed up with a girl!" the boy declared, gagging a little as he finished off the second small swig of whisky. "Jane thinks she's fancy on me, but...well, she's confusing!" Not that he was sure he wanted to understand her. "I think I want to be a pirate! Ot a marshal, like Marshal Guyer."
Jonah chuckled. "I'd be glad to join your pirate crew! What about you, Josiah? Care to go pirating?" Then he shook his head. "But blast it all, that woman has captured me, and I don't want to be free!"
Josiah laughed and said, "Aye Matey! A pirating we'll go! However, we have patients to see tomorrow, and Weedy here has school to attend. I'm thinking, as much fun as pirating would be, certain women in this very house would most probably object to our gallivanting off in search of a ship, and it would be a long way to the Caribbean Islands to find us that ship. That would be several thousand miles from here." He paused long enough to put a match to his pipe and get it going.
"And Weedy, I think that maybe your Mom, Addy, would be most unhappy with us if we shanghaied you that far away. Probably send Marshal Guyer after us." He took a draw on his pipe, then let the smoke out."Now this Jane girl, well, girls, you know, are real sweet on pirates! You need to have a girl in every port. And there's lots of ports. Part of the pirate rules, you know. Like drinking rum, owning a cutlass. Lots a rules to. I 'spose Wyatt's folks won't let him go either."
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"We have quite a ways to go yet, but yes, you're right. Not to brag, but the construction has sent a message about Kalispell and what is happening here." Leah pointed out.
"Place is growin', no doubt on that," Addy declared. "I got a contract with th' mill an' Speed's mine fer haulin' freight, an' so long's th' new owners of th' stage don't stray, I might hafta start a real business, with employees an' real books an' all!" She chuckled. "I got some inquires out on a new wagon an' team, but I might need more as th' town grows."
So far, with just the one wagon, Addy had kept the business transactions in her head, but once she had someone working for her, she'd have to actually keep track on paper, and that meant learning how to do that.
Leah was smiling at what Addy was telling them about her contracts and the success that that meant for her. Losing the stage line job, if in fact she had would not be such a blow with the contracts she had gained in addition to the ones she already had around town. "You'll need at least one more wagon if not a third. Two freight wagons and a lumber wagon, if you'll be hauling full-sized logs."
"And good men are not all that hard to find, and more will be looking for work as town grows. And it is!" She added.
"No doubt that with the mines opening up, the lumber mill, which may well expand, and a host of other coming businesses opening, which Addy Chapple's freightline will service. Investors will be needed, as wagons, tack, and draft horses are not cheap by any means." Elinor pointed out/
Josiah laughed and said, "Aye Matey! A pirating we'll go! However, we have patients to see tomorrow, and Weedy here has school to attend. I'm thinking, as much fun as pirating would be, certain women in this very house would most probably object to our gallivanting off in search of a ship, and it would be a long way to the Caribbean Islands to find us that ship. That would be several thousand miles from here." He paused long enough to put a match to his pipe and get it going.
Disappointed, Weedy nodded, although he was pretty sure that was going to be the answer. "Guess I'll have to wait," he grumbled, "but I'm gonna one day, so Jane Patterson-Forde doesn't get her hooks in me!"
"Smart lad," Jonah chuckled.
"And Weedy, I think that maybe your Mom, Addy, would be most unhappy with us if we shanghaied you that far away. Probably send Marshal Guyer after us." He took a draw on his pipe, then let the smoke out."Now this Jane girl, well, girls, you know, are real sweet on pirates! You need to have a girl in every port. And there's lots of ports. Part of the pirate rules, you know. Like drinking rum, owning a cutlass. Lots a rules to. I 'spose Wyatt's folks won't let him go either."
"I heard that same thing," Jonah agreed, taking a sip of whisky. "I don't think Leah would approve of that, so I'd best not turn to pirating."
Weedy sighed and shrugged. "I guess maybe one day, but I don't want to disappoint Miss Addy. She's done a lot for me, and I want to make her proud." He shrugged again. "I guess I can wait for school to finish."