Mr Flagg agreed to stay for a cookie and an cuppa.
"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.
The older man waxed lyrical about Caroline; Sally could tell that he was quite smitten with her.
"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.
The pot girl had to wonder to herself how true that was, maybe it was a tiny little white lie. She had a romantic vision of the poor lovesick man, trekking all over the Territories, trudging though mud and snow and ice, over endless prairie and over impassible mountains, horses dying under him, stumbling into town on his hands and knees and finally seeing... HER! His blonde Goddess - in the arms of another man!!
By the time she handed him his plate of shortbread and a big mug of coffee she had tears in her eyes.
"Here ya go, Mr Flagg... an just remember... there's plenty more fish in the Sea!!" she blurted as she sniffed back the residue from her running nose.
Turk had just been making conversation, he could most of the time be quite garrulous and good natured. To him, Caroline Mundee was a good topic, she was that rare thing for the life long bachelor, a female friend. But little did he know that Sally completely misread what he said.
By the time she handed him his plate of shortbread and a big mug of coffee she had tears in her eyes.
As he looked up to thank her, he noticed she was now sad? Were those actual tears? He was puzzled.
"Here ya go, Mr Flagg... an just remember... there's plenty more fish in the Sea!!" she blurted as she sniffed back the residue from her running nose.
"Thank ya, Sally...and good ta know. Not that I've ever seen the sea nor probably will. And I don't fish," he smiled softly while still trying to assess the girl's sudden mood change. He must have said something wrong? Damned if he knew what though?
"Excuse my curiosity, Sally, but....what's wrong? Are you crying? Have I said something to offend you? For that would be last thing I would want to do, honest," he launched into an apology, though for what he was clueless. But then he never did understand women. Men, yes. Horses too, oh and now cows, yes. But women were quite the mystery.
"Thank ya, Sally...and good ta know. Not that I've ever seen the sea nor probably will. And I don't fish," he smiled softly while still trying to assess the girl's sudden mood change. He must have said something wrong? Damned if he knew what though?
"You might have to start" she said sadly.
"Excuse my curiosity, Sally, but....what's wrong? Are you crying?"
"No!" she said quickly, wiping a tear away "I just got something in my eye."
"Have I said something to offend you? For that would be last thing I would want to do, honest," he launched into an apology.
She shook her head.
"I... I just feel sad that you've fallen in love with Miss Mundee when she's already spoken for. It's just bad luck she met Mister Connolly before you could 'plight your troth' and all that. I .... I 'm sure she would have been interested." it was a white lie, but it still made her stutter when she told it. And it was a lie, of course: Mr Connolly was gorgeous! And Mr Flagg was, well, homely was probably the best phrase.
"Maybe in time you will learn to fall in love again with someone new..." she suggested hopefully "... how 'bout that girl with the cast in her eye what works at the General Store? She's real pretty when you look at her from the side!"
"No!" she said quickly, wiping a tear away "I just got something in my eye."
Now that he did not believe for an instant.
"Have I said something to offend you? For that would be last thing I would want to do, honest," Turk launched into an apology.
She shook her head.
"I... I just feel sad that you've fallen in love with Miss Mundee when she's already spoken for. It's just bad luck she met Mister Connolly before you could 'plight your troth' and all that. I .... I 'm sure she would have been interested."
"What?" the man wondered where she got that from?
"Maybe in time you will learn to fall in love again with someone new..." she suggested hopefully "... how 'bout that girl with the cast in her eye what works at the General Store? She's real pretty when you look at her from the side!"
Now before he could try to correct this mistaken theory of hers none other than the subject of this little conversation walked in. Caroline was in a robe tied at the waist and barefoot. Her hair could use some combing for certain, no doubt she had just woke up.
"Plight your troth, Turk? What the devil?" Caroline looked straight at her old friend. News to her.
Turk just grinned, "No, no. Sally here thinks I am madly in love with you. But that I'm too late, you got yerself a man."
Caroline actually laughed, "Seriously? Oh lordy! Sally, me n' Turk here are old friends. Nothing more. Never was nothing sparking between us."
She placed a hand on Sally's shoulder, "As for me being proposed to, truth is I been asked to marry three times...nope, make that four, Lt. Greene wanted us ta git hitched too. Turned them all down. I ain't the marrying type. But none of those men were Cabot Flagg. And for yer information, I told Turk all about me n' Brendan. Not that there will ever be a marriage between him n' me either."
Turk then stated, "I ain't even lookin' for marryin' anyone. First place, no woman would want to marry me, not with this face. Nothin' I can do to change that and I've learned to live with it.'
Caroline scoffed, "Stop that. Looks ain't everythin'. A woman should never just marry a man because he's handsome. Cabot Flagg here is a good honorable man, a better person than me by far. And - if I were ta marry, not that I ever will...I'd want it to be with a decent man who will be faithful to me and treat me kindly. Nothing else....money or looks matters."
Turk just grinned, "No, no. Sally here thinks I am madly in love with you. But that I'm too late, you got yerself a man."
Caroline actually laughed, "Seriously? Oh lordy! Sally, me n' Turk here are old friends. Nothing more. Never was nothing sparking between us."
"Oh!" Sally turned bright red and stared at her feet. She'd made another blunder!
She placed a hand on Sally's shoulder, "As for me being proposed to, truth is I been asked to marry three times...nope, make that four, Lt. Greene wanted us ta git hitched too. Turned them all down. I ain't the marrying type. But none of those men were Cabot Flagg. And for yer information, I told Turk all about me n' Brendan. Not that there will ever be a marriage between him n' me either."
"Oh dear, I've ... I've been stupid again... jumping to the wrong conclusions. I'm sorry, Mr Flagg." stuttered the unhappy girl.
Turk then stated, "I ain't even lookin' for marryin' anyone. First place, no woman would want to marry me, not with this face. Nothin' I can do to change that and I've learned to live with it.'
Sally was about to object to that statement, but Caroline beat her to it.
Caroline scoffed, "Stop that. Looks ain't everythin'. A woman should never just marry a man because he's handsome. Cabot Flagg here is a good honorable man, a better person than me by far. And - if I were ta marry, not that I ever will...I'd want it to be with a decent man who will be faithful to me and treat me kindly. Nothing else....money or looks matters."
"I... I'll get you something for breakfast" Sally told Caroline meekly, her cheeks still burning at her foolish error. "You must think me very silly Mr Flagg, I guess, well, what with Caroline here being so beautiful, I couldn't imagine any man not falling in love with her"
"Oh dear, I've ... I've been stupid again... jumping to the wrong conclusions. I'm sorry, Mr Flagg." stuttered the unhappy girl.
Turk waved it off with a smile, "No need to be sorry. It was almost a compliment, you thinkin' me n' Caroline bein' a couple."
He went on to say he'd never get married given his face, that war wound had messed it up pretty badly.And not even his whiskers covered it up all that well.Caroline would have none of it and then gave him a real compliment - that he was in her estimation a good and honorable man. High praise that and perhaps a bit over the top but he did try to live a decent life.
"I... I'll get you something for breakfast" Sally told Caroline meekly, her cheeks still burning at her foolish error.
"Oh hon, could you do that for me, thank ya, you know I can't cook for shit," Caroline smiled.
"You must think me very silly Mr Flagg, I guess, well, what with Caroline here being so beautiful, I couldn't imagine any man not falling in love with her"
"I do not think you silly, it was an honest mistake and yer right, a lot of men have fallen in love with this here gal. But me n' her, we are fine with friendship," Turk didn't want her to feel badly.
Caroline did not want to let the poor girl get busy with the breakfast before consoling her also, she reached out and gave her a sisterly hug.
"Oh Sally, don't be so sad. I learned early in life bein' sad don't change nothin'. Just move on and live yer life, you only get one. Don't worry, hon, you'll find your man some day. And - if yer lucky - you'll know it right off too. And when you do, go for it. Don't just settle for life passin' you by."
"Oh Sally, don't be so sad. I learned early in life bein' sad don't change nothin'. Just move on and live yer life, you only get one. Don't worry, hon, you'll find your man some day. And - if yer lucky - you'll know it right off too. And when you do, go for it. Don't just settle for life passin' you by."
Sally tipped her head and listened to Caroline's sage advice with a frown. Then she nodded.
"You're right!" she said. "Oh, I wish I was brainy like you, Caroline"
"See, Mr Flagg, I just get a little tangled up onct in a while. I'm what they call simple. I been told that a few times and I heard it said behind my back lots. I get things wrong a lot and then I get all frustrated and sad. I've tried to grow some brains, but they just won't come. Mister Miller told be I should eat lots of fish... it's 'brain food' he said, he said it'd stop me bein' so dumb. But there ain't no fish round here, unless you catch 'em yourself in the Flathead."
Then an amazing thing happened.
She had an idea.
"Hey, I could go fishin' on Sunday and catch me some fish and then eat 'em and then I'd be brainy."
A problem presented itself immediately "Oh, 'cept I don't know how to go fishing." she looked at Turk and explained "I've led a very sheltered life in an Army barracks."
"You're right!" Sally said. "Oh, I wish I was brainy like you, Caroline"
"Been called a lot of things in my life, hon, never brainy but thanks," the saloon gal was bemused by the thought of it.
"See, Mr Flagg, I just get a little tangled up once in a while. I'm what they call simple. I been told that a few times and I heard it said behind my back lots. I get things wrong a lot and then I get all frustrated and sad. I've tried to grow some brains, but they just won't come. Mister Miller told be I should eat lots of fish... it's 'brain food' he said, he said it'd stop me bein' so dumb. But there ain't no fish round here, unless you catch 'em yourself in the Flathead."
Turk winced, "Yer not simple, Sally." Alright, maybe she was....a little. So what, smart folk could be terrible people.
"I wouldn't be putting much stock in what Mr. Miller says if I were you," Turk did not like that man at all.
"But yeah, fish are tasty enough done the right way," he fully admitted. As a boy he'd catch bullheads in the nearby creek and Ma would fry them up in butter. Fond memories, those.
"Hey, I could go fishin' on Sunday and catch me some fish and then eat 'em and then I'd be brainy," Sally suddenly declared.
A problem presented itself immediately "Oh, 'cept I don't know how to go fishing." she looked at Turk and explained "I've led a very sheltered life in an Army barracks."
"I could show ya....wait............you lived in an Army barracks?" now that statement was a jarring one. The Army did not accept women in service.
"I could show ya....wait............you lived in an Army barracks?" now that statement was a jarring one. The Army did not accept women in service.
Sally frowned.
"Well, yes. My daddy was a Sergeant at the fort. Lots of Forts. We had our own quarters, even after Mama died. She was Spanish. I can speak a little Spanish. Anyhow, he died too, last year. That's when I come here. I used to work in the laundry at the fort."
Actually, that's where Flagg was wrong in his thoughts: laundresses were the only women listed officially on the Army's books in those days.
"Colonel Boot wanted me to stay - I was the best greyback killer in the whole outfit, but, I don't know, it just seemed so lonely there after daddy died, I thought I'd best try going somewhere new, and Mister Fortner gave me a job here..." she glanced nervously at Caroline "...I... I know he ain't exactly a saint, but I'll always be grateful for that." she admitted, undiplomatic though it was.
"So, you can show me how to fish?" she asked Mr Flagg hopefully.
"... and then I'll be able to catch dozens and dozens of fish and eat them and be as brainy as everybody else, and then no-one'll make fun of me anymore!" she summarized her masterplan pretty succinctly.
Sally now explained, "Well, yes. My daddy was a Sergeant at the fort. Lots of Forts. We had our own quarters, even after Mama died. She was Spanish. I can speak a little Spanish. Anyhow, he died too, last year. That's when I come here. I used to work in the laundry at the fort."
"Oh, that is interestin'. And you must take after your Pa, you sure don't look Spanish," Turk guessed.
"Colonel Boot wanted me to stay - I was the best greyback killer in the whole outfit, but, I don't know, it just seemed so lonely there after daddy died, I thought I'd best try going somewhere new, and Mister Fortner gave me a job here..." she glanced nervously at Caroline "...I... I know he ain't exactly a saint, but I'll always be grateful for that."
"Least he did one thing right then," Caroline just smiled. When it came to Fortner that was high praise from Caroline.
"So, you can show me how to fish?" Sally asked Mr Flagg hopefully.
"Why I sure can, be glad to. I will get us a pole before Sunday," Turk jumped on the opportunity.
"... and then I'll be able to catch dozens and dozens of fish and eat them and be as brainy as everybody else, and then no-one'll make fun of me anymore!"
"Bein pretty optimistic there, Sally, we probably won't catch that many. Let's just see how they're biting," he smiled.
"And no one should be making fun of you. No one better do that in front of me," he felt badly for the cruelty the gal was having to deal with.