Although she had a reputation for clumsiness, it wasn't really Sally's fault that the plums were rolling all over the boardwalk. It was the fault of the Kalispell Strangler. If that silly old strangler hadn't gone and strangulated that man who used to work in the general store and who, although something of a short changer, really knew how to wrap up a passel of plumbs, well, if he hadn't done that - those plums would still be nicely wrapped up in Sally's arms.
His replacement didn't know how to wrap up plums.
Hence plums on the boardwalk.
Everywhere.
Rolling.
"Oh no!!" Sally was on her hands and knees, encumbered by the rest of the shopping from the stores that Mrs McMahon had sent her out to fetch. She was trying to grab at the plums and hold them in her hands at the same time, but when she picked up one, another escaped her. The dratted things were alive! And then.... THEN... some big lunk walked past her and crushed one underfoot.
The normally docile and mild mannered girl saw red.
"Hey, watch where you're going you big stupid plum-crushin'... OH!"
She looked up. It was HIM. Mr Flagg.
She had spent the best part of a week avoiding Mr Flagg. Mr Flagg... ever since he had rescued her from Jimmy Miller's rough groping... Mr Flagg had confused Sally Cutts. That was definitely the word. Con-fused, with a capital fused. And now here he was, towering above her, plum-pulp under foot.
"Hello Mr Flagg"
Yep. Definitely con-fused.
Yes indeed, it was certainly Cabot 'Turk' Flagg now looking down sheepishly at the young miss and her plum juggling.
"Oh, my apologies, miss," he replied, "I tried to avoid stepping on your fruit but one of those plums just seemed to roll right under my boot. More than happy to pay for it."
Even as he spoke he joined her kneeling, taking off his hat, turning it upside down and grabbing plums then placing them inside the now handy container.
"Why don't you put the ones you have in here too?" he smiled.
As they gathered, he added with a grin, "Hope I am not bad luck for you, Miss Cutts. It appears when we are in the same place lately something unfortunate seems to happen to you."
With two working on the task, the plums were soon all back under control.
"There! Not so bad, is it? The squished one, I can pay ya a nickel for it? I really don't know the going price for plums but feel free to correct me. Groceries are not a specialty of mine."
"Oh, my apologies, miss," he replied, "I tried to avoid stepping on your fruit but one of those plums just seemed to roll right under my boot. More than happy to pay for it."
“Oh, that’s all right… that one was spoiled anyway” she lied.
Even as he spoke he joined her kneeling, taking off his hat, turning it upside down and grabbing plums then placing them inside the now handy container.
“Oh! You don’t have to… oh thank you.” She smiled as the older man helped her.
"Why don't you put the ones you have in here too?" he smiled.
“Mmm, that’s a good idea…” Sally agreed. She accidentally touched his hand as she complied “Oh, sorry…”
As they gathered, he added with a grin, "Hope I am not bad luck for you, Miss Cutts. It appears when we are in the same place lately something unfortunate seems to happen to you."
Sally blushed a little. 'Miss Cutts' - so fancy, that sounded. Most people called her Sal or Sally or Hey you.
“That’s true, but then something nice happens afterwards, like your hat idea or when you clobbered Mr Miller, I mean, that sort of wasn’t nice in a way, but it was nice of you to take time out of your visit to thump him, and he’s been very well behaved ever since that happened, well most of the time… he asked me to tell you that, if I ever saw you again. He says he’s learned his lesson.”
There they were finished and both stood up, Sally brushing down the dust from her smock now she had a free hand.
"There! Not so bad, is it? The squished one, I can pay ya a nickel for it? I really don't know the going price for plums but feel free to correct me. Groceries are not a specialty of mine."
“A nickel?! Oh, Mr Flagg! Don’t you know? You could buy a whole passel of plums for a nickel. He he. Oh well, I guess Mrs Flagg must buy all the groceries in your house” she declared. It didn’t sound like she was fishing for Cabot’s marital status, and the girl had such an open and honest manner, it was fair to say she wasn’t.
Spoiled?
"Oh it was? How observant of you," Turk wondered if she had just made that up.
“Mmm, that’s a good idea…” Sally agreed. She accidentally touched his hand as she complied “Oh, sorry…
"Well, I do have them on the rare occasion," he chuckled then shrugged, "Nothing to be sorry for."
Sally blushed a little. 'Miss Cutts' - so fancy, that sounded. Most people called her Sal or Sally or Hey you"
"Well, I do not care for Hey you...but alright I like the name Sally, I'll use that............Sally," he now promised.
She then started chattering away, which in truth he didn't mind one bit. Women did not converse with him much at all, well excepting Caroline.
Frankly he did have to wonder if that Miller really did learn his lesson but he hoped so. If he had to, he'd do it again to reinforce it. And then they were done and both stood back up, she was shorter than him and something about her was almost child like, but in a good way. As in innocent not childish.He offered to pay for that rotted plum.
“A nickel?! Oh, Mr Flagg! Don’t you know? You could buy a whole passel of plums for a nickel. He he. Oh well, I guess Mrs Flagg must buy all the groceries in your house” she declared.
"There I've learned something today then...well besides what name to call you," he grinned, "And for your information, there is no Mrs.Flagg, I am not married now or previous. And no house either. I live on a ranch as one of the hands. We each got us a simple bed in the same building."
"I take it you are unmarried? Though in a way that would surprising, excepting your youth, you are after all a pretty young woman," he was sincere about that.
"There I've learned something today then...well besides what name to call you," he grinned, "And for your information, there is no Mrs. Flagg, I am not married now or previous. And no house either. I live on a ranch as one of the hands. We each got us a simple bed in the same building."
"You're just a plain old ranch hand?" Sally asked. She didn't look so much disappointed as surprised. "You... I don't know, you look more extinguished somehow." She presumably meant 'distinguished'.
"I take it you are unmarried? Though in a way that would surprising, excepting your youth, you are after all a pretty young woman," he was sincere about that.
"Oh you're teasing me, Mister Flagg!" Sally laughed. "I did have a fiancée a couple of weeks ago but I had to give him the can because he kept not asking me to marry him. Do you know, he never tried to kiss me onct?" she frowned in thought. "He was slow."
Funny, that's what a lot of people said about Sally, but in a different context.
They got to the Saloon and Sally turned right down a narrow alley between it and the building next door.
"Come round the back to the kitchen. You're allowed if you're with me." she confided.
"You're just a plain old ranch hand?" Sally asked. She didn't look so much disappointed as surprised. "You... I don't know, you look more extinguished somehow."
"Yep, plain ol cowpoke. Not extinguished though," Turk had to smile. He was pretty sure she didn't mean that word. But it was amusing.
Turk went for a compliment, one sincerely meant too.
"Oh you're teasing me, Mister Flagg!" Sally laughed. "I did have a fiancée a couple of weeks ago but I had to give him the can because he kept not asking me to marry him. Do you know, he never tried to kiss me once?" she frowned in thought. "He was slow."
Turk assumed this fiancee most likely was not as enthusiastic or in a hurry as much as this gal was.
"Maybe he was afraid you would take it wrong if he did attempt a kiss? Sorry, it did not work out for you though, Sally, really am," he sympathized.
By now they were at the saloon though Sally took him around into the alley to use the back entrance.
"Come round the back to the kitchen. You're allowed if you're with me." she confided.
"Sure, not that I was worried...I'm an old friend of Caroline's, ever since she was back in Helena. Besides I'll need my hat back once you put the plums in a bowl or such," he pointed out.
"Maybe he was afraid you would take it wrong if he did attempt a kiss? Sorry, it did not work out for you though, Sally, really am," he sympathized.
Sally shrugged and shook her head.
“Oh well, I guess it wasn’t meant to be, Mr Flagg. He was kinda too good for me, I was shooting for the moon.” The girl sighed as she walked along with the older man. Although she was talking to about something that had made her a little sad, it was nice that the man seemed genuinely interested in her travails: the only other people she’d told were Caroline, who’d got angry on her behalf (Caroline seemed to get angry about a lot of stuff) Mrs McMahon, who’d replied that there was lots of work to be done (which seemed rather irrelevant) and the wonderful Miss Mudd, who had hugged her and kissed the top of her head and encouraged her to cry on her shoulder about it.
Suddenly they were home.
"Come round the back to the kitchen. You're allowed if you're with me." she confided.
"Sure, not that I was worried...I'm an old friend of Caroline's, ever since she was back in Helena. Besides I'll need my hat back once you put the plums in a bowl or such," he pointed out.
“Oh yes! He he. It would be funny if you forgot and put it back on first.” Sally laughed at the simple-minded joke.
I’m an old friend of Caroline’s
I’M AN OLD FRIEND OF CAROLINE’S
The planets aligned and suddenly Sally’s slow brain caught up with the world. THAT’s why Mr Flagg was showing an interest in her… he was in love with Caroline!
Oh, poor Mr Flagg… didn’t he know Caroline already had a boyfriend? And Brendan was young and handsome and made Caroline as near to happy as she ever got. Oh no! Her heart leaped with sympathy for the old and, let’s face it, not so very handsome Mr Flagg. Suddenly she felt sad… but a sort of maudlin enjoyable sad. They were both rejects in love. It gave her an odd and not unpleasant feeling of camaraderie with the plum carrying ancient feller.
They got to the door and somehow got it open.
Mrs McMahon was there and cast an appraising eye on the scene.
“Oh Mammy, look, Mister Flagg rescued my plums!” Sally said excitedly.
“Uh-huh! He did, did he?” said the big black cook knowingly, looking Cabot up and down “I’ll be in the laundry room if you need me” she said, and exited, humming that old tune from the Civil War ‘Tenting Tonight’.
Sally thought that was a little odd. She wondered where Caroline was… she was scared that if she came in, Mr Flagg might get down on one creaking knee and propose to the blonde bombshell or something embarrassing, and then there would be an upsetting scene when she refused him. Luckily it was still morning, Caroline didn’t usually rise before noon.
"Well, Sally, if I did that, then we'd just be scrambling over the floor picking them all up again," Turk smiled.
Once inside the pair entered the saloon kitchen, the darkie woman was there. Turk barely knew her except by sight but Caroline was fond of her and that was more than enough for the ex-bounty hunter.
"Ma'am," he nodded.
Mrs McMahon was there and cast an appraising eye on the scene.
“Oh Mammy, look, Mister Flagg rescued my plums!” Sally said excitedly.
“Uh-huh! He did, did he?” said the big black cook knowingly, looking Cabot up and down.
Flagg had the evidence right there, holding out the hat piled with plums for the cook to see for herself, "We rescued them together."
“I’ll be in the laundry room if you need me” the woman said, and exited, humming that old tune from the Civil War ‘Tenting Tonight’.
Turk now focused on Sally, "So you know where you want to put these? A washing bowl or somethin' ?"
He shrugged, "Then I must be goin' I reckon. Must say though, enjoyed the conversation, Sally." And he certainly had to. Other than Caroline he did not converse with women.
Turk now focused on Sally, "So you know where you want to put these? A washing bowl or somethin' ?"
"Ooh, yes! Hold on!" the girl rummaged in a cupboard and pulled out a nice spatterware dish which was a little shallow for the purpose, but they managed to empty Turk's hat without further spillage. "I'll boil 'em down to make a plum tart with later on. These types is too tart to eat just as they come." she appraised him of this important fact.
He shrugged, "Then I must be goin' I reckon. Must say though, enjoyed the conversation, Sally."
"Oooh, well aren't you going to stay for a nice cup of coffee and piece of shortnin' bread. Whenever the others have a visitor, they always do that, and I ain't never had a visitor before, so it would be nice if you did." she pointed out in a rather convoluted way.
"Maybe Caroline will be down soon"
She kicked herself for saying it as soon as it left her mouth. She shouldn't be encouraging the poor man in what she imagined to be his infatuation with the beautiful saloon singer.
"Ooh, yes! Hold on!" the girl rummaged in a cupboard and pulled out a nice spatterware dish which was a little shallow for the purpose, but they managed to empty Turk's hat without further spillage. "I'll boil 'em down to make a plum tart with later on. These types is too tart to eat just as they come." she appraised him of this important fact.
"Ahhh, my mother used to make preserves and jar them. Never had a plum tart though that I can recall," Turk had pleasant memories of his boyhood home. Until the war.
He felt he shouldn't stay though, the girl might have work to do.
"Oooh, well aren't you going to stay for a nice cup of coffee and piece of shortnin' bread. Whenever the others have a visitor, they always do that, and I ain't never had a visitor before, so it would be nice if you did." she pointed out.
"So I am your first visitor? I feel honored then, wouldn't want to deprive you of that opportunity. I like shortening bread," he also was in no real hurry to leave her surprisingly entertaining company.
"Maybe Caroline will be down soon" the girl surmised.
"Might be a bit early yet for her. She was always a late riser in Helena too. Or so she told me. By the time I'd see her, she was working the saloon, doing the same thing she does here. I liked to hear her sing. That's where we first met...back in Helena. I'd buy her drinks and listen to sing...oh and she danced too. Some nights we might even chat a bit. That sorta thing," he thought back on it.
"When she quit, I had no idea where'd she had went but was surprised to see her here," he added, still standing there hat now in hand, waiting for her to tell him he could sit. That's how gentlemen did it, he figured.