The old roué wanted to do more for Sally.
"Tell me," he asked in confidential tones. "How much you getting paid at the Stardust? It's been awhile since I've looked at the books."
She frowned, not understanding at first "Oh, I just work for bed an' board, Mister Priest, didn't you know that? Course, I can keep any tips, but I don't get many, not like Caroline or Chubby or even Mr Flandry. Only money I make's for doin' ladies' hair sometimes and a little needlework. I let a dress out for Mrs Rosenkranz... you know, she's getting a little hefty round the, well, you know!" she giggled nervously.
"So... does Mr Fortner pay you... or are you more like partners? Oh sorry... I shouldn't have asked that. Not my place." she looked down shyly.
Address me as Hon. Hiram Priest, esq.
"Tell me," he asked in confidential tones. "How much you getting paid at the Stardust? It's been awhile since I've looked at the books."
She frowned, not understanding at first "Oh, I just work for bed an' board, Mister Priest, didn't you know that? Course, I can keep any tips, but I don't get many, not like Caroline or Chubby or even Mr Flandry. Only money I make's for doin' ladies' hair sometimes and a little needlework. I let a dress out for Mrs Rosenkranz... you know, she's getting a little hefty round the, well, you know!" she giggled nervously.
Priest tugged at his chin ruefully.
"So... does Mr Fortner pay you... or are you more like partners? Oh sorry... I shouldn't have asked that. Not my place." she looked down shyly.
Hiram looked straight and calmly into Sally's eyes.
"I'm on retainer," he said in almost a whisper. Then, realizing that young Miss Butts might not understand what he was saying, added, "I'm Mr. Fortner's personal lawyer. I help him out in all sorts of ways and, because of that, I get a tidy check once a month. You see, he's retained me for my professional services."
"But, back to what we were saying, I've seen the hard work you do around this establishment and I could get you on the payroll, if you'd like that."
Priest thought her such an endearing creature.
"I'm on retainer," he said in almost a whisper.
"Uh? What's that mean? I never heard that word before, Mister Priest" the girl asked with a frown, tipping her head in her distinctive way. He explained.
"I'm Mr. Fortner's personal lawyer. I help him out in all sorts of ways and, because of that, I get a tidy check once a month. You see, he's retained me for my professional services."
"I get it, he's got you close by, case he ever needs a quick smart piece o' lawyerin' doin' for him, he can just turn in his chair and, hey presto, there you are!" she said, but it occurred to her that Mr Fortner must need legal help a lot more than plain folks like herself.
"But, back to what we were saying, I've seen the hard work you do around this establishment and I could get you on the payroll, if you'd like that."
"Wh... what would I have to do extra?" Sally asked, assuming that more money must mean more duties to earn that money: she had the protestant work ethic pretty strong. "I mean, I... I'm sorry Mr Priest... I won't do anything wrong, even if I get the can if'n I refuse."
"What's the catch? I mean for you to just gimme part of the place, what are you expecting from me then? Before I agree to anything, I gotta know that much," Ralph felt it fair.
Franklin nodded. "I can see you're a businessman at heart, Ralph. That's a fair question." He looked Ralph up and down. "I am looking for someone I can trust, and I trust you. And, like I said, it's important to me that the Stardust operate soundly and efficiently. You fit the ticket. So, if you're wondering what you're bringing to the party to get 20%, I'm saying that it's your expertise. You know the history and you know where all the bodies are hidden. But, if you feel that if you want to put money in the pot, how about $100. If you don't have it all at once, we can take it in pieces."
"It's a smart business move for both of us," he added. "Priest can draw up the papers tomorrow, .. or tonight if he isn't too busy with his solitaire," he joked.
"Wait a minute. I don't wanna put money in no pot. Thought this was about me getting 20 percent?" Ralph countered.
"Tell ya what..........do this and I will agree to this here deal. I want you to include Caroline on this. She gets 10 percent, I get the other 10 percent. Don't cost you no more than you're already offering. If she's not part of this, count me out too," he declared in the tone of a man who meant every word.
Address me as Hon. Hiram Priest, esq.
But, back to what we were saying, I've seen the hard work you do around this establishment and I could get you on the payroll, if you'd like that."
"Wh... what would I have to do extra?" Sally asked, assuming that more money must mean more duties to earn that money: she had the protestant work ethic pretty strong. "I mean, I... I'm sorry Mr Priest... I won't do anything wrong, even if I get the can if'n I refuse."
Hiram held up his palm. "You've proven yourself already, Miss Sally," he assured her. "You are conscientious and hardworking. You care about the customers and you care about your fellow workers. You are pleasant and ... er .." he struggled for the right word. ".. and you are sunny."
The leathery old charmer's eyes searched for Franklin Fortner and found him at the bar jawing with Ralph.
"Stay right here, Missy," he said, then rose and joined the two at the bar.
An observer would have seen the two men conferring, nodding, and occasionally looking Sally's way. Hiram must have issued some sort of bon mot because Franklin let out a hardy chuckle then slapped Hiram on the back.
Back at the table, Hiram Priest retook his seat.
"Well now, Miss Sally. I've been in conference with the proprietor (he easily slipped into his judge-talk), and he agreed that you should be on the payroll. He also agreed that you've earned it and admitted he should have thought of it sooner."
Priest, a believer that money matters should be kept mostly hidden, leaned toward Sally.
"What what you say to $10 a week?"
"It's a smart business move for both of us," he added. "Priest can draw up the papers tomorrow, .. or tonight if he isn't too busy with his solitaire," he joked.
"Wait a minute. I don't wanna put money in no pot. Thought this was about me getting 20 percent?" Ralph countered.
Fortner held up his hand.
"I was just worried that you might feel you need to put some skin in the game, but it makes no never mind to me. You absolutely don't need to."
Ralph was a tough nut to crack. Fortner often wondered if someone sold his mother a wooden nutmeg, or something.
Then came his answer.
"Tell ya what..........do this and I will agree to this here deal. I want you to include Caroline on this. She gets 10 percent, I get the other 10 percent. Don't cost you no more than you're already offering. If she's not part of this, count me out too," he declared in the tone of a man who meant every word.
Fortner pursed his lips and nodded.
"Tell you what, Ralph. If you can talk Caroline into it, ..then it's a deal. I'm not sure she'd want to deal one-on-one with me, but maybe the offer would be better received if you proposed it to her. I think it would be a sound deal for both of you. Both of you would get 10% of the distribution of profits, plus a seat at Board meetings. At those meetings you'd get a vote on any ideas for the place."
"Sound good?"
"Tell ya what..........do this and I will agree to this here deal. I want you to include Caroline on this. She gets 10 percent, I get the other 10 percent. Don't cost you no more than you're already offering. If she's not part of this, count me out too," Ralph declared in the tone of a man who meant every word.
Fortner pursed his lips and nodded.
"Tell you what, Ralph. If you can talk Caroline into it, ..then it's a deal. I'm not sure she'd want to deal one-on-one with me, but maybe the offer would be better received if you proposed it to her. I think it would be a sound deal for both of you. Both of you would get 10% of the distribution of profits, plus a seat at Board meetings. At those meetings you'd get a vote on any ideas for the place."
Ralph slowly nodded then finished his shot glass.
"Sound good?"
"Fair enough. I'm thinkin' Caroline won't turn this down, not when she knows I'm agreeing to the same thing. However, not sure she'll want any seat at some board meeting. She ain't the board meeting type," Ralph almost smiled there at the thought of it.
Actually neither was he, he'd never attended a meeting like that his entire life.
Sally had sat wide eyed and fidgety while Mr Priest had been talking the boss, and on his return she stood reverentially, wringing her hands in front of her apron.
"Well now, Miss Sally. I've been in conference with the proprietor (he easily slipped into his judge-talk), and he agreed that you should be on the payroll. He also agreed that you've earned it and admitted he should have thought of it sooner."
"Oh really?! I can't believe it!" Even a dollar a week would make all the difference to Sally's world.
"What what you say to $10 a week?"
The girl's mouth just dropped.
"You mean... you mean a month, surely?" she questioned and then, when the full import of what he was saying hit her, she just threw herself onto his lap and hugged him like crazy. "Oh, Mister Priest! You're wonderful!!" she yelped. She didn't really think of the old Judge as a man, more like a sort of skinny Santa Clause, and so gave little heed to the way her firm young breasts were jutting into the old man's chest or how her slim slightly bony buttocks were pressing down on into his lap. Even if she had realised, well, Mr Priest was probably too old to cut the mustard anymore anyway.
She jumped up, so full to the brim of protestant work ethic that it was nearly spilling out at her ears.
"I... I gotta earn all this extra money! I know: I'll start on all that mendin' an' darnin' I've been putting off all week! And then I'll scrub all the pots and pans in the kitchen!" she promised out loud - promised Priest, God or herself, who knew? "But first I'll run round and tell Flo about you needin' a... whatdayacallit? Book Keeper!"
She scooted off at top speed through the swing doors with a cry of "I'm rich!!" and nearly crashed into a cowboy, whom she greeted with little doggerel of "How d'you do? I'm well to do!" and she was gone.
A quarter of an hour later she was back, but came from the other direction. She put her head into the saloon proper and got Priest's attention with a "psst" She beckoned him kitchenward, with a whisper of "Florence is here, but she'd rather see you in the kitchen. She says respectable girls don't walk into saloons."
Prim and proper, bespectacled Miss Florence Pattison Forde, who looked like she was 18-going-on-50, was sat at the communal kitchen table with a couple of ledgers set before her, examples of her work. She rose respectfully enough when Priest entered and looked at him owl-like through her glasses. And like all good girls, she didn't speak until she was spoken to.
Ralph slowly nodded then finished his shot glass.
"Sound good?"
"Fair enough. I'm thinkin' Caroline won't turn this down, not when she knows I'm agreeing to the same thing. However, not sure she'll want any seat at some board meeting. She ain't the board meeting type," Ralph almost smiled there at the thought of it.
Actually neither was he, he'd never attended a meeting like that his entire life.
"It's a deal then. I'll have Hiram gin up the paperwork for your signatures. And these meetings aren't like something at the Chicago Commodities exchange, it's just informal stuff. We have a few drinks, go over the numbers, talk about suppliers, talk about improvements. Talk about rough customers,..that sort of thing."
Franklin held out his hand. "Shake on the deal?"
Address me as Hon. Hiram Priest, esq.
"What what you say to $10 a week?"
The girl's mouth just dropped.
"You mean... you mean a month, surely?" she questioned and then, when the full import of what he was saying hit her, she just threw herself onto his lap and hugged him like crazy. "Oh, Mister Priest! You're wonderful!!" she yelped. She didn't really think of the old Judge as a man, more like a sort of skinny Santa Clause, and so gave little heed to the way her firm young breasts were jutting into the old man's chest or how her slim slightly bony buttocks were pressing down on into his lap. Even if she had realised, well, Mr Priest was probably too old to cut the mustard anymore anyway.
Hiram Priest smiled warmly, pleased that he'd helped the girl. "Whoa!" he bleated in his old man's high-pitched gravel voice. "I got to watch my ticker."
She jumped up, so full to the brim of protestant work ethic that it was nearly spilling out at her ears.
"I... I gotta earn all this extra money! I know: I'll start on all that mendin' an' darnin' I've been putting off all week! And then I'll scrub all the pots and pans in the kitchen!" she promised out loud - promised Priest, God or herself, who knew? "But first I'll run round and tell Flo about you needin' a... whatdayacallit? Book Keeper!"
"Good idea," Priest agreed, anxious to catch a breath.
She scooted off at top speed through the swing doors with a cry of "I'm rich!!" and nearly crashed into a cowboy, whom she greeted with little doggerel of "How d'you do? I'm well to do!" and she was gone.
She reminded Hiram of a small dust storm, maybe even a tornado. The girl was certainly had an endearing eagerness for life, reflected in her sunny disposition.
A quarter of an hour later she was back, but came from the other direction. She put her head into the saloon proper and got Priest's attention with a "psst" She beckoned him kitchenward, with a whisper of "Florence is here, but she'd rather see you in the kitchen. She says respectable girls don't walk into saloons."
Priest arose, put his top hat on, and headed for the kitchen.
Prim and proper, bespectacled Miss Florence Pattison Forde, who looked like she was 18-going-on-50, was sat at the communal kitchen table with a couple of ledgers set before her, examples of her work. She rose respectfully enough when Priest entered and looked at him owl-like through her glasses. And like all good girls, she didn't speak until she was spoken to.
To the wily judge, she looked like the head librarian at the college he'd attended; all business.
Priest removed his that and pulled up a chair across from her.
"Hello, Ma'am..er..Miss Forde. I'm Hiram Priest and would like to speak to you about a position at this emporium which we desperately need filling."