"You should find someone who gives you purpose!" she suggested brightly "There' plenty of pretty single women here, Mr Flagg."
"I suppose there probably are," Turk shrugged.
She started to list eligible woman off, counting them on her fingers.
"Let's think: there's Miss Lutz... erm... oooh, Miss Straub, I mean, she's meant to be walking out with Mr Gibbs, but he's kinda slow, you could steal her away easily, Miss Chappel, she's kinda your age, you know, and she'd be real pretty if she put on a dress, Miss Albrecht at the Store... phew, when you think on it, there's so many to chose from. I'd avoid Tully Nevada, she's a kinda a wildcat, and steer clear of the Patterson Forde girls for obvious reasons!" she concluded.
"None of those I even know...I mean I seen the waitress in the diner but the rest, nope," if Sally thought he was the sort to suddenly go off and chase these gals, then the young miss completely misread him.
"You're it, Sally, from our meetin' in the Star Dust. And to be honest, I doubt any of those others really can hold a candle to you."
"None of those I even know...I mean I seen the waitress in the diner but the rest, nope," if Sally thought he was the sort to suddenly go off and chase these gals, then the young miss completely misread him.
"Oh, I reckon you must have seen the Pattison Forde girls, there's three of them and they all look exactly the same... I know I'm not much to look at , but they're definitely icky, Mister Pettigrew says it's a 'stratistikal certainty that you fall over one of them everytime you step out the door' Then again he lives right next door to 'em..." she rattled on.
Then Mr Flagg said something unexpected. Very unexpected indeed.
"You're it, Sally, from our meetin' in the Star Dust. And to be honest, I doubt any of those others really can hold a candle to you."
Sally's ears heard the words, but her small brain struggled to interpret them in any way other than what they meant. Her reply said it all.
"Oh!"
She felt dizzy, but kept on walking, looking straight ahead, like nothing was happening. She tried to think... nope, nothing doing there! She allowed herself to feel. Hmm. Yes. That was more like it. They walked in silence for what seemed the longest time, the sounds of the retreating town receding and those of the countryside replacing them. The approaching plashing of the river, the calls of the Finches and the Sandpipers, the slight breeze that swayed the trees and made Sally's thin smock plaster against her slim form.
They reached the river and, unless she was going to walk right into the waters and drown, she must stop and speak at last.
Her heart was thumping as she heard her self speaking as she looked at that big primeval river, that had flowed here for thousands of years, and would flow on long after they were both long gone.
"Mister Flagg, you haven't asked me no question or nothing, but..." she turned and looked up at him with those wide trusting eyes "... but the answer is Yes."
After Turk's ardent declaration the conversation ended, they kept walking toward the river but they did so in silence. Turk was truly unsure what to say next. He had wanted to make it clear to her he did not agree with those who thought the girl slow witted or even worse, ugly? How could they even think the latter? She was more than pretty enough to him. Perhaps a bit on the slow side but a lot of that could have been her life thus far, it was obvious she did not have an easy go of it. Some called war veterans addled but that was again a circumstance created by the harshness of all the killing, suffering, and hardships. It affected people.
Then they reached the shore of the river, it was flowing fast enough, but then it was spring, and the melt off always did that to rivers. Hopefully it also made for hungry fish.
And now Sally spoke up again but certainly not about fishing.
"Mister Flagg, you haven't asked me no question or nothing, but..." she turned and looked up at him with those wide trusting eyes "... but the answer is Yes."
Cabot blinked, a bit confused. Question? What question was he supposed to ask? Where had that come from?
"Yes...yes to what? Beggin' yer pardon, Sally, but yer sayin' 'yes' to what then?"
Women were certainly puzzling.
"Yes...yes to what? Beggin' yer pardon, Sally, but yer sayin' 'yes' to what then?"
"Oh, weren't you askin' me to marry you?" she asked, matter-of-factly "When you said I was 'it'..."
She laughed and shrugged her shoulders "Oh well, there I go gettin' the wrong end of the stick again, what people say is right - I really am dumb! Fancy me thinkin' a big growed up man like you'd want to marry a silly little noodlehead like me!"
Oh well, it had been flattering for a minute of misunderstanding.
"Maybe I'd better say 'yes' to Mister Miller after all." she sighed.
"Oh, weren't you askin' me to marry you?" she asked, matter-of-factly "When you said I was 'it'..."
Damnation! So that was what she meant? Turk stammered to respond, "Well, ummmm, it was...I mean." What the hell had he meant? He even wasn't sure now.
She laughed and shrugged her shoulders "Oh well, there I go gettin' the wrong end of the stick again, what people say is right - I really am dumb! Fancy me thinkin' a big growed up man like you'd want to marry a silly little noodlehead like me!"
"And there you go again, belittling yerself, Sally, I don't like it when you do that. You have plenty to offer this world," Turk countered.
"Maybe I'd better say 'yes' to Mister Miller after all." she sighed.
"Yes to Miller? He asked you? Miller?" that hit the man like a punch to the face.
"My lord, why would you want that? Settling for him? You are way too good for the likes of Miller," Turk definitely objected.
"The bigger question is why on earth would you even settle for wanting to marry me either? I'm older than you, we both discussed my looks or rather lack of. What can I offer a young miss like you?"
It suddenly struck him. Was he jealous of this Miller jasper? Jealous because she might then choose a life with the likes of him? Did that mean he wanted her for himself then?
Women were a lot of trouble....
"And there you go again, belittling yerself, Sally, I don't like it when you do that. You have plenty to offer this world," Turk countered.
She smiled at him sympathetically and shook her head. "I can do ladies' hair a little, but part from that, I'm just a simple person really,Mr Flagg... and I'm happy with that. I reckon I might make a good obedient little wife for some feller one day, maybe, but that's about the 'stent of my ambitions"
"Maybe I'd better say 'yes' to Mister Miller after all." she sighed.
"Yes to Miller? He asked you? Miller?" that hit the man like a punch to the face.
"Well, sorta. He said he'd take me on approval. Like, I'd have to live over the brush with him for a couple o' weeks, and if I was satisfactory, he'd consent to marry me."
"My lord, why would you want that? Settling for him? You are way too good for the likes of Miller," Turk definitely objected.
She shrugged.
"Well, nobody else has asked me, until you did; except you didn't, o' course. That was just me getting all mixed up, as usual."
"The bigger question is why on earth would you even settle for wanting to marry me either? I'm older than you, we both discussed my looks or rather lack of. What can I offer a young miss like you?"
She tipped her head and studied him for a second.
"Hmmm, you got a point there Mister Flagg. I guess we can't do nuthin' about how old we is; and a cowpoke and a pot-girl don't come with no money or dowries or great prospects, but as for your looks, I reckon there's somethin' we could try..." she crooked a beckoning finger at him and stepped a little nearer.
"That place you try and cover up, where you got hurt. Did anyone ever try kissin' it better?"
"Well, sorta. He said he'd take me on approval. Like, I'd have to live over the brush with him for a couple o' weeks, and if I was satisfactory, he'd consent to marry me."
Oh to hell with that! Turk had a sudden hankering to beat that fellow but good next time he saw him. Except he'd get arrested for it. Oh and maybe shock and disappoint Sally.
"That is not how that should work, Sally, he was taking advantage of you," Turk pointed out.
"My lord, why would you want that? Settling for him? You are way too good for the likes of Miller," Turk definitely objected.
She shrugged.
"Well, nobody else has asked me, until you did; except you didn't, o' course. That was just me getting all mixed up, as usual."
He then pointed out the many reasons why on earth she would consider him husband material. Turk was just being a realist.
She tipped her head and studied him for a second.
"Hmmm, you got a point there Mister Flagg. I guess we can't do nuthin' about how old we is; and a cowpoke and a pot-girl don't come with no money or dowries or great prospects, but as for your looks, I reckon there's somethin' we could try..." she crooked a beckoning finger at him and stepped a little nearer.
"That place you try and cover up, where you got hurt. Did anyone ever try kissin' it better?"
He had to chuckle over that one.
"Ummm, making it better. The doc that time made it as good as it's ever gonna get when he sewed me up. In fact he saved my life that day. Many men with a wound like that ..........well, they either died outright or the infection got 'em. But not me, I'm still here, in all my ugliness. No one said life was fair...but then you probably know that already too."
But Turk did think he knew what she was up to and God forbid he discourage her. He'd kissed a girl just once, back when he was fourteen and it was at a barn dance. Hortense was the gal. Ugly name but she was not all that hard on the eyes really. They'd danced with each other four times that night so maybe Hortense felt she had a claim on him. A month later Hortense's family moved away, Bloody Kansas was not a place her parents wanted to raise a family in any more.
"So what'd you saying, Sally? You wanna kiss me? It don't have to be right there ya know. I'd be tickled if you are game for it."
"Ummm, making it better. The doc that time made it as good as it's ever gonna get when he sewed me up. In fact he saved my life that day. Many men with a wound like that ..........well, they either died outright or the infection got 'em. But not me, I'm still here, in all my ugliness. No one said life was fair...but then you probably know that already too."
"Don't say you're ugly, you're not. And your war-wound makes you look brave and distinguished. Don't do yourself down Mister Flagg!" she scolded him just like he had scolded her.
"So what'd you saying, Sally? You wanna kiss me? It don't have to be right there ya know. I'd be tickled if you are game for it."
The girl drew back immediately, he had called her bluff. "Oh Mister Flagg! I never said that! For shame!! I was just asking if anybody ever had tried to kiss it better, I wasn't offering to do it myself. I came here to learn to fish!" she protested disingenuously. No girl alive would ask to kiss a man, that was topsy-turvey. He had to try and kiss her.
And then she could fight him off, until he married her. Well, that was her understanding... and no bed 'til wed! She didn't want to go up the aisle with a bigger bustle sticking out in front, than the one following on behind.
"So what'd you saying, Sally? You wanna kiss me? It don't have to be right there ya know. I'd be tickled if you are game for it."
The girl drew back immediately, he had called her bluff."Oh Mister Flagg! I never said that! For shame!! I was just asking if anybody ever had tried to kiss it better, I wasn't offering to do it myself. I came here to learn to fish!" she protested.
Yikes! Well, he sure had misinterpreted that wrong! He recoiled, "Oh sorry, I just misunderstood. My apologies, Sally."
He just had to admit, he simply did not understand women.
Fortunately they had now arrived at the riverbank.
"Well, here we are now. Forget all that foolishness," he hoped he had not offended her with his error of judgement. Last thing he wanted to do.
"So....you ever fished before? At all? Here are the poles, I put hooks on the lines for us. So do you know how to fix the bait to em?" he asked eager to move on.
"Well, here we are now. Forget all that foolishness," he hoped he had not offended her with his error of judgement. Last thing he wanted to do.
"Yep, let's get down to business!" Sally chirped.
"So....you ever fished before?
"Nope!" admitted the girl.
"At all?"
"Nope! Do I get one of them there sticks?" she asked, peering at Mr Flagg's angling equipment.
"Here are the poles, I put hooks on the lines for us. So do you know how to fix the bait to em?" he asked eager to move on.
"Is that the wiggly worms?" the pupil asked, pulling a worried face. She hovered, wanting to look inside the tin but scared in case the worms jumped out and wiggled all over her. She shivered, and suddenly had a random thought of her recently deceased Father, deep in his grave, being eaten by worms such as these.