"Don't reckon I've ever confused anybody with a building before, miss," Turk smiled.

A ghost of a smile even decorated Jemima's bovine features at this. 

"But I do get your point. If this place is such a dead end for you...and you really have your heart set on adventure....well, then you should go. All I meant was just be careful out there."

She nodded thoughtfully. She wasn't lively and gay like Arabella, she wasn't pretty like Miriam Kaufmann or Anaesthesia Orr, she was dull and she was plain. Folks thought of her as a drudge, and drudge she was. But still, inside of her somewhere was an urge to go - not to any particular place; live Arabella and Miriam with thier New York plans, but just to go.

"I got an old friend in town and she could tell you things...about young ladies who got themselves in way over their heads seeking a different sort of life. It can go south real quick, that's the truth of it," Turk was referring to Caroline Mundee, the saloon singer.

Jemima frowned. 

"Do you mean Fat Fanny?" she asked, curious. "How do you know her?"

"I got an old friend in town and she could tell you things...about young ladies who got themselves in way over their heads seeking a different sort of life. It can go south real quick, that's the truth of it," Turk was referring to Caroline Mundee, the saloon singer.

Jemima frowned. 

"Do you mean Fat Fanny?" she asked, curious. "How do you know her?"

Turk grinned, "I don't even know anyone named Fanny let along your Fat Fanny individual. Sounds like a nasty nickname, poor gal."

"No my friend is Caroline Mundee, she is the singer at the Star Dust. Not that I would expect a young miss like you hangin' about a place like that," he further explained.

Turk grinned, "I don't even know anyone named Fanny let along your Fat Fanny individual. Sounds like a nasty nickname, poor gal."

"Well, she's fat and her name is Fanny." shrugged Jemima, matter-of-factly. Boy, for a hardened killer, Mr Flagg sure was a sensitive soul. Come to think of it, the girl who washed the soldiers shirts at the fort even introduced herself as Fat Fanny!

"No my friend is Caroline Mundee, she is the singer at the Star Dust. Not that I would expect a young miss like you hangin' about a place like that," he further explained.

Jemima pulled a pained face. 

"We fell out." she said shortly. "We both got a mutual friend called Arabella. We fell out about her and... I said some bad stuff to Miss Mundee. Said she wasn't... respectable like." the girl admitted. She wondered why she was telling Mr Flagg all this.

"No my friend is Caroline Mundee, she is the singer at the Star Dust. Not that I would expect a young miss like you hangin' about a place like that," Turk further explained.

Jemima pulled a pained face. 

"We fell out." she said shortly. "We both got a mutual friend called Arabella. We fell out about her and... I said some bad stuff to Miss Mundee. Said she wasn't... respectable like." the girl admitted. 

"Oh you mean Miss Mudd. Yep, I met her...spunky little thing. I liked her. But she was in the saloon and she and Caroline were gettin' along just dandy," Turk informed her.

"Suppose some might not think she's respectable. But I don't care, I've known her for some time and she's a good friend of mine. No one is a more loyal friend than her. Course you're entitled to your opinion."

Oh you mean Miss Mudd. Yep, I met her...spunky little thing. I liked her. But she was in the saloon and she and Caroline were gettin' along just dandy," Turk informed her.

Jemima nodded, although she knew that the two didn't always get along. Arabella sometimes actually going out of the way to cause a fight between the saloon singer and herself: she liked the drama as well as the kiss-and-make-up afterwards. As for Jemima herself, she never let Arabella's little games raise her dander. 

"Suppose some might not think she's respectable. But I don't care, I've known her for some time and she's a good friend of mine. No one is a more loyal friend than her. Course you're entitled to your opinion."

"That's just it... I don't think that is my opinion anymore, Mr Flagg. I think I just copied what everybody else says, you know, that all women who work in saloons are... well, not quite nice. In fact, I'm starting to question a lot of things lately. Like..." she suddenly remembered herself and shook her head. 

"I'm sorry, Mr Flagg, you don't want to hear a silly girl chattering on about herself... here let me show you your rom." she said, opening the door and letting him go in first. 

"Bed's there, washbasin's there, wardrobe to hang your clothes in" she pointed as she stated the obvious.

"That's just it... I don't think that is my opinion anymore, Mr Flagg. I think I just copied what everybody else says, you know, that all women who work in saloons are... well, not quite nice. In fact, I'm starting to question a lot of things lately. Like..." 

Turk wanted to say something but knew she had not quite finished and let her gather her words.

"I'm sorry, Mr Flagg, you don't want to hear a silly girl chattering on about herself... here let me show you your room." she said, opening the door and letting him go in first. 

"You weren't borin' me none," he just shrugged, he liked talking with folks most times.

"Bed's there, washbasin's there, wardrobe to hang your clothes in"

Nodding he replied, "Fair enough. Looks all proper and clean. Plenty good for the likes of me. But getting back to your thoughts. Good on you, that you don't necessarily want to think like most folks think. Make your own decisions. Trust your judgement. That's what advice I got when I was younger and I like to think it made a lot of sense."

"Bed's there, washbasin's there, wardrobe to hang your clothes in"

Nodding he replied, "Fair enough. Looks all proper and clean. Plenty good for the likes of me."

Jemima nodded along and gave a little smile, which lit up her homely face: at least, a little. She was surprised, pleasantly surprised,  when he brought the conversation back to herself. 

"But getting back to your thoughts. Good on you, that you don't necessarily want to think like most folks think. Make your own decisions. Trust your judgement. That's what advice I got when I was younger and I like to think it made a lot of sense."

The girl, whose whole demeanor was usually somewhat hangdog, seemed to physically straighten at Mr Flagg's words. He was, in some ways, the first person she had ever encountered who had actually listened to her, even including her ostensible friends and even - or especially - her family. 

Case in point, her mother now appeared.

"Oh, hello" she cooed at Mr Flagg "Bed and Breakfast is it?" she looked him over, to make sure he wasn't, well, one of the undesirable races. Hopefully he would have seen the 'No Irish' sign, which was the one race that was hard to spot until they opened their mouths. Obviously, she could spot a black and Chinaman or a Jew a mile away. 

"Jemima!" she snapped "Stop bothering the gentleman and go and peel the potatoes!" she ordered. "I am so sorry, Mr...er?" "Flagg" her daughter informed her. "Oh, Mr Flagg..." (not O'Flagg she was glad to hear) "... you will have to excuse Jemima. She does rather have a habit of making a silly fool of herself when a handsome gentleman is in the room." she said in a distasteful combination of flattery for him and a put-down for Jemima herself.

An older woman now appeared, no doubt in charge too.

"Oh, hello" she cooed at Mr Flagg "Bed and Breakfast is it?"

"Actually, ma'am, that's not my name, but I'm here to rent a room, yes," Turk nodded, he had earlier removed his hat and never put it back. Before he could introduce himself she spoke again.

"Jemima!" she snapped "Stop bothering the gentleman and go and peel the potatoes!"

"It's quite alright," Turk didn't like her treatment of her own daughter. Least he thought they were related.

"I am so sorry, Mr...er?"

"Flagg" her daughter informed her.

"Oh, Mr Flagg... ... you will have to excuse Jemima. She does rather have a habit of making a silly fool of herself when a handsome gentleman is in the room."

"Nothing to excuse, she was very helpful. Showed me the room. We had us a fine little neighborly chat. Must be easier for you to run this place with such a fine helper," Turk went to the girl's defense.

"Actually, ma'am, that's not my name, but I'm here to rent a room, yes," Turk nodded, he had earlier removed his hat and never put it back. Before he could introduce himself she spoke again.

To be fair, the joke went either over the heads of, or perhaps beneath the notice of, both Mother and Daughter. But on finding Mr Bed and Breakfast's real moniker, Mrs Wigfall waxed lyrical upon poor Jemima's shortcomings. 

"Oh, Mr Flagg... ... you will have to excuse Jemima. She does rather have a habit of making a silly fool of herself when a handsome gentleman is in the room."

"Nothing to excuse, she was very helpful. Showed me the room. We had us a fine little neighborly chat. Must be easier for you to run this place with such a fine helper," Turk went to the girl's defense.

"Hmmm" the older woman grunted suspiciously. Ugly as her daughter was, she could still be jealous of her younger years. She dismissed the girl with a preemptory "Go and see to the supper."

Jemima looked daggers at her mother, then spared Mr Flagg one of her rare smiles and a quick "Bye!" and was gone. 

The truth was, Mrs Wigfall wanted the company of a man, a real man. Her husband was useless. The kids weren't even his - how could they be?! - he had never managed to rise to the occasion. But once upon a time she had been young and beautiful and courted by lots of young men. Until recently one of them, Richard Orr, had visited her at least once a week and given her a taste of the past. 'Once more for old times sake, Mary dear!' he used to say. Ahhh, but since his death, there had been a lonely hole in her life. 

Now they were alone, she looked Mr Turk Flagg over with the appraising eye of a farmer looking for a new prize bull at a cattle market. 

"Will you be staying long, Mr Flagg? I have a much bigger and nicer room I will be able to move you into the day after tomorrow" she beamed sweetly.