"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
It was the day after the performance of "Stories From The Old Testament" and Arabella was out for a walk down Main Street, togged up in her full s'fisticated walking out finery, testing the temperature, you might say, and so far she had not found it so much chilly as non-existent. To her annoyance, nobody either congratulated her, or berated her, for her little display of pale goose-bumpy flesh last night.
Hmmm!
Then she recognised the forms of Weedy and Wyatt ambling down the street together. Well, only just recognised them; the boys were growing up fast, and would soon be termed young men by most, rather than big boys.
"Hello boys!" she beamed at them, and then asked the inevitable question "Enjoy the show last night?"
She had another question.
"I hope Simons didn't give you too hard a time, 'suming he caught you?"
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Wyatt had spotted the actress heading down their way as they walked the board walk but didn't want to simply run off or quickly turn and beat a hasty retreat. Besides, he knew her before the play, they were not strangers. So he didn't say anything to Weedy.
"Hello boys!" she beamed at them, and then asked the inevitable question "Enjoy the show last night?"
"Howdy ma'am...or...miss," Wyatt wasn't bold enough to simply call her by her first name though.Oh wow, she knew they had been watching? Gosh, how many people were aware of their little escapade anyway?
"It was ....nice, yep," he kept his answer short.
She had another question.
"I hope Simons didn't give you too hard a time, 'suming he caught you?"
"Nah, it was no big deal," Wyatt assured her then looked to Weedy to see how he fared with the somewhat intimidating Arabella Mudd.
As soon as he spotted Miss Arabeller in their vicinity, Weedy found a dozen other things that were insanely interesting -- the spacing of the boards beneath his feet, the ripples in the glass of windows they were passing, the lettering on storefronts...
But there was no avoiding the woman, and especially after she talked to them, he had to turn his attention to her, just to be polite, of course. Unfortunately, despite her fine dress, about all Weedy could see were boobs...naked boobs!
"Hello boys!" she beamed at them, and then asked the inevitable question "Enjoy the show last night?"
"Howdy ma'am...or...miss," Wyatt wasn't bold enough to simply call her by her first name though.Oh wow, she knew they had been watching? Gosh, how many people were aware of their little escapade anyway?
"It was ....nice, yep," he kept his answer short.
Oh! She knew! Had she seen them? Or had Mr. Simons tattled? Or maybe, she was just grasping at straws, and didn't really know? Not that it mattered once Wyatt answered her.
"Yes, Ma'am, real nice, made Bible stories better than church!" Because you'd never see girl-tits in church!
"I hope Simons didn't give you too hard a time, 'suming he caught you?"
"Nah, it was no big deal,"
"No, ma'am, it's all taken care of," Weedy added. At least for now! "You're a real good actress, too," he declared, offering some flattery. "Are you going to act in anything else? There's plenty more Bible stories, or maybe mythology, you know, Athena, Diana, Aphrode..."
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"Howdy ma'am...or...miss," Wyatt wasn't bold enough to simply call her by her first name though.
Arabella laughed "Er: Miss, and always will be... actresses are always Miss anyway, it's a sorta tradition. Not that I didn't get scads of proposals of marriage when we were on tour." she bragged, not adding that they were from a couple of sex starved miners who hadn't seen a woman in months.
"It was ....nice, yep," he kept his answer short.
"'Nice' huh?" Arabella raised an eyebrow.
She had another question.
"I hope Simons didn't give you too hard a time, 'suming he caught you?"
"No, ma'am, it's all taken care of," Weedy added. At least for now!
Ma'am again! What was wrong with these two?! Ohhhhh! It was because of last night. They were embarrassed. Well, that would never do. Also, she'd an idea which might benefit from these boys helping her, she puzzled herself over how to try and put them at their ease.
"Oh, I am glad. Why, I'd feel just awful if you two had got in trouble, just because you wanted to come on in to the theatre to see me displaying my talents. I mean Wyatt, Porter, you are two of my oldest friends in Kalispell... I'd hate for anything to change that. I mean, we're all a little more grown up now, but I'm still just your old pal Arabella." she assured them.
"You're a real good actress, too," Weedy declared, offering some flattery. "Are you going to act in anything else? There's plenty more Bible stories, or maybe mythology, you know, Athena, Diana, Aphrode..."
"I'm afraid the next play'll be somethin' pretty dull and respectable, The Old Curiosity Shop or something, except there won't be too much to be 'curious' about, if you get my drift. I wouldn't bother sneaking in to that one! I did have this one idea about doing a play about this feller called Pygmalion, Jake Lutz told me about him once ..." (Miss Hardy had corrected Arabella's habit of pronouncing that word 'Onct')
"... he was kind of a sculptor in ancient times, and he created this statue of a beautiful woman, see?, and then, Abracadabra, one day she came to life! Of course, all the statues in those days were completely nude, so I'd have to be on on stage with no clothes on again, except I guess they could paint me all over with whitewash: and it'd kinda crack when I moved and became a living woman. Ha ha - can you imagine that?" she laughed. It'd be a pretty good effect on stage, but she'd never get away with it. She was lucky to still have her job after her antics as 'Eve'.
She suddenly changed the subject.
"Anyhow, listen boys, I'm glad I bumped into you both. How would you like to make some easy money? $3 each and all you'd have to do is stand around for an hour?" she asked in business-like tones.
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"Oh, I am glad. Why, I'd feel just awful if you two had got in trouble, just because you wanted to come on in to the theatre to see me displaying my talents. I mean Wyatt, Porter, you are two of my oldest friends in Kalispell... I'd hate for anything to change that. I mean, we're all a little more grown up now, but I'm still just your old pal Arabella." she assured them.
Wyatt frowned, he and Porter were old friends of hers? Really? She didn't even seem to like him much at all back when she first stayed in their farm. And since then they'd had nothing really to do with each other. But he was polite and did not argue.
"You're a real good actress, too," Weedy declared, offering some flattery. "Are you going to act in anything else? There's plenty more Bible stories, or maybe mythology, you know, Athena, Diana, Aphrode..."
Wyatt figured Weedy was just trying to flatter her though those names were a bit unfamiliar to the farm boy...OK, Diana but the others?
Arabella then went on about this new play she was going to be doing, telling Wyatt far more about it than he really cared. Did she think they would keep sneaking into the theatre just to see her, ESPECIALLY if the she even admitted it was dull ?
She prattled on then, "of a sculptor in ancient times, and he created this statue of a beautiful woman, see?, and then, Abracadabra, one day she came to life! Of course, all the statues in those days were completely nude, so I'd have to be on on stage with no clothes on again, except I guess they could paint me all over with whitewash: and it'd kinda crack when I moved and became a living woman. Ha ha - can you imagine that?" she laughed.
Wait, suddenly it got interesting again. Wyatt was actually sorta kind intrigued. He imagined himself taking a paint brush to whitewash Arabella.
"Anyhow, listen boys, I'm glad I bumped into you both. How would you like to make some easy money? $3 each and all you'd have to do is stand around for an hour?" she asked in business-like tones.
Three dollars! That sounded like a lot especially given they only needed to stand around for an hour? Wyatt might be naive but he wasn't quite that trusting. What was the catch?
"Ummm, maybe, stand around where...and when?" he asked.
Weedy glanced at Wyatt then back to Arabeller, not quite sure what the trick was. Three dollars was a lot of money, but the young woman could be tricky and deceptive, and there was the possibility that she might be more trouble than three dollars was worth!
"Just standing around?" That didn't seem right. "You're not going to rob a bank or something?" Why else would she need a lookout? "We can't do anything wrong, you know. But otherwise, I guess we can?"
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"Just standing around?" That didn't seem right. "You're not going to rob a bank or something?" Why else would she need a lookout? "We can't do anything wrong, you know. But otherwise, I guess we can?"
Arabella rolled her eyes at the boys' quibbling. What a pair of wusses. If she was a boy she'd jump at the chance of doing wrong things. Come to think of it, you didn't need to be a boy to do that, as she'd proven last night.
"All I need you to do is to dress up as a couple of angels for a phtotygraph I need to take. If you can come round about noon, the light should be pretty good then" she said, casting an expert eye on the sky.
"I left all my photygraphic stuff at the funeral parlour, so come round there, huh? I'll bring the costumes and what-not. Don't think I'll bother with the halos, they look kinda fake; I'll bring the wings over, though..." she muttered, more to herself than them.
"Once I take the photygraphs, then we'll rob the bank!" she added, hoping Porter realised that that was a joke.
@[Wayfarer]
Storyteller / Shared NPC
Weedy was as suspicious as Wyatt was or so it seemed. The boys edged toward agreeing but did not quite guarantee it. Wyatt wanted to hear more exactly what it was they were going to do for Arabella. So the actress got down to it.
"All I need you to do is to dress up as a couple of angels for a photygraph I need to take. If you can come round about noon, the light should be pretty good then" she said, casting an expert eye on the sky.
Angels? She didn't mean that? Only no sooner had Wyatt thought that when he realized she certainly did.
"Well, we ain't exactly angels but ..." Wyatt didn't finish.
"I left all my photygraphic stuff at the funeral parlour, so come round there, huh? I'll bring the costumes and what-not. Don't think I'll bother with the halos, they look kinda fake; I'll bring the wings over, though..." she muttered, more to herself than them.
"So people are gonna see us all dressed up like that?" Wyatt now inquired. The other kids in school might laugh at them. But there was the promise of money involved so he had to take that into account.
"Once I take the photygraphs, then we'll rob the bank!" she added.
Wyatt caught the joke but whether Weedy would was a whole other kettle of fish.
Angels?
Weedy had the same thoughts that Wyatt did. They'd be laughed out of school and never live it down! But three dollars was a lot, and the chance to go into the funeral parlor? That just might be worth it!
"Maybe." He ignored the quip about the bank, glancing at Wyatt, then back to Arabeller. "If we can see a dead body." Then they'd have bragging rights, and that would make up for any shame!
Storyteller / Shared NPC
"Maybe." Weedy glanced at Wyatt then back to Arabeller. "If we can see a dead body."
Wyatt frowned, "I seen dead bodies before. Like my mother............." He would never get that out of his memory, "When the Indians killed her."
"And the man who got killed when they burned our barn down. Pa and Jacob shot him."
Nope, he got no thrill out of seeing dead folk.