Sally chatted merrily about their green bean Samaritan as she fairly skipped along next to Flagg on the short walk to the nearby refuge.
"I got Flo a job at the saloon! Well, not in the saloon, but in the back, in Mister Fortner's office, book-keeping. She's got a splendid head for figures, so clever... o' course, the spectacles help. Can you believe Mister Priest asked me if I could do it? Me! He he. So silly." she babbled.
They reached the place and let themselves in the back - all was quiet.
"I need to get the stove fired up" Sally announced looking around for where there was usually a bucket of kindling.
"Then when the fire's goin' I'll gut the fish."
Sally chattered as they headed for this woman's refuge place, he'd walked by it on the boardwalk more than once but thought it empty himself. Sally would know better though. She happily mentioned she got someone named Flo a job. Wait, Flo...oh the girl who had promised them the green beans.
"Well, that was nice of you, Sally. You are a very good person, just don't let anyone in the saloon take advantage of you. I'm happy at least Caroline and Ralph are there regular. Just in case," he responded.
That old codger thought Sally could do bookkeeping? Strange.
"Hey, I couldn't do that job either, Sally, too much arithmetic for me," he sympathized.
They reached the place and let themselves in the back - all was quiet. Seemed in decent shape though not lived in for awhile he felt.
"I need to get the stove fired up" Sally announced looking around for where there was usually a bucket of kindling.
"Then when the fire's goin' I'll gut the fish."
"Why don't I gut those fish, done it since I was boy. Besides the sooner we get everything ready, the sooner we eat," he declared with a lopsided grin.
"Why don't I gut those fish, done it since I was boy. Besides the sooner we get everything ready, the sooner we eat," he declared with a lopsided grin.
"Well all right, just this once!" she allowed him "Really a woman should cook for the man" she said firmly and without the faintest idea of how to gut a fish. She'd have to ask some nice domesticated female to show her how sometime. Good job Cabot had insisted on doing it this time!
They busied themselves at their respective chores until there was a rat-ta-tat at the door and Flo came in with the beans in a big glazed earthenware pot with a lid. She put it down on the stove, lifting the lid to show Sally. "Look, there's plenty!" she said, lifting the lid and steaming up her spectacles, which made Sally laugh.
"Hey come and look, Cabot! There's plenty." Sally called to her man friend.
Florence murmured a teasing "First name terms, huh?" to Sally, at which the saloon worker grinned stupidly and grunted a half hearted protest of "Oh hush you" to the bean-bringer.
Cabot had not been blowing smoke, he knew how to gut fish, done it plenty of times in his younger days back on the farm, and occasionally even while in the service. He was almost done when there was a knock on the door and in came the gal who promised the green beans, oh yeah, Flo. Container was big enough.
"Hey come and look, Cabot! There's plenty." Sally called to her man friend.
Florence murmured a teasing "First name terms, huh?" to Sally, at which the saloon worker grinned stupidly and grunted a half hearted protest of "Oh hush you" to the bean-bringer.
Turk went over to sneak a peek, "Reckon that's enough beans to do the job and more. Thank ya, miss."
"Oh fish are just about ready, on the last one, you got the fire going?" she asked of Sally.
Turk went over to sneak a peek, "Reckon that's enough beans to do the job and more. Thank ya, miss."
"That's all right, Mr Flagg." the girl with glasses replied, with a serious face. "Ma always makes too many and then my brother Forde forces them down and an hour later gets the most terrible wind."
Sally snickered, which was exactly Flo's intention.
"The other evening, Pastor Evans called round, just after Forde had treated himself to such a beanfeast, and I am afraid to say that just as that saintly person entered our humble abode, by awful brother disgraced himself by breaking wind very loudly indeed" Flo continued in her serious tone and funereal visage, while Sally laughed out loud as such base humour. "Pastor Evans was most dismayed, especially when Forde excused himself by saying 'it must have been the sound of the 'Heavenly Trump of Angels'"
"Will you go 'way Flo. I'm tryin' to cook here!!" Sally chided her, wiping her eyes, and the Patterson Forde girl did as she was bid.
"Bye Sal, bye Mr Flagg. Don't eat too many beans now!" she warned them as she disappeared out the door.
"Oh fish are just about ready, on the last one, you got the fire going?" she asked of Sally.
"Yeah, let me test the hob" Sally said, spitting on the metal cooking surface, which sizzled nicely.
She put the skillet on.
"Just wait a minute for it to heat through, I'll find the butter..."
The young ladies sure were amused about the flatulence beans could cause. They should sit around a campfire of trail hands farting away. Turk smiled to be nice. Flo did not stay which suited Turk just fine. This was between just him and Sally. He called out a pleasant good night to the girl. Now onto the fish fry.
"Yeah, let me test the hob" Sally said, spitting on the metal cooking surface, which sizzled nicely.
She put the skillet on.
"Just wait a minute for it to heat through, I'll find the butter..."
"Look for some salt and pepper too, if you got it?" he advised.
Once some butter was slopped into the pan, it sizzled away and melted quickly, Turk loved the smell of butter. He place the fish strategically onto the pan so they did not crowd and then waited.
"If you never had butter fried fish, Sally, I think you are in for a treat. I love 'em!"
"Sure smells good!" beamed Sally as the delicious aroma filled the kitchen.
"Oooh! Got a bag of salt down here down here!" she called, as she rummaged around in some low cupboards. "Oooh, and I think this is... a-a-a--achoo! ... pepper!"
She then found plates and cutlery and a tablecloth even, and laid the table nicely.
This was, she decided, nice.
"Is it ready yet" she asked impatiently, looking over his shoulder.
Aha, she found and produced both salt and pepper, the final necessary ingredients to butter fried fish. He liberally salted and peppered the fillets and turned them over in the sizzling butter, done nicely on one side.
"Fish does not take long, you never want to overcook it. It's best when it cuts with a fork and is flakey...almost there, my dear," he smiled. proud of his culinary skill...........least with fish.
Another minute or so and he took a fork to one fillet, it cut easily, perfect!
"That's it, Sally! Plates please," he took each plate as she handed them to him then place half the fish on each one.
"Have a seat then, don't they look fine and proper," he set the plates on the table along with the waiting green beans. A feast fit for a king and queen. Not really but then they weren't royalty either.
"Fish does not take long, you never want to overcook it. It's best when it cuts with a fork and is flakey...almost there, my dear," he smiled. proud of his culinary skill...........least with fish.
His Dear? Hmm. That was nice... if a little creaky. Somehow made her feel like his niece or something! Still, he was making an effort. Cade Brodie would have never called her his dear or punched out Mister Miller or cooked her a fish or...well, anything, really. She decided there and then to never think about that young man again. Not because it upset her particularly, but because somehow it didn't seem fair to nice Mr Flagg, who was calling her 'my Dear' and who was cooking her a fish!
"That's it, Sally! Plates please," he took each plate as she handed them to him then place half the fish on each one.
"Yes sirree!!" Sally was there immediately with the requisite crockery.
"Have a seat then, don't they look fine and proper," he set the plates on the table along with the waiting green beans. A feast fit for a king and queen. Not really but then they weren't royalty either.
"Let me help you to some beans" the girl piped up, wanting to show her appreciation for everything he had done for her.
Then she gave her self some.
"All right, I'm ready" she said, closing her eyes and placing her hands together in an attitude of prayer. "Will you say grace, Cabot?"
She seemed very happy with the fish, well the looks of them anyway, the truth would come in the tasting but Cabot was confident.
"Let me help you to some beans" the girl piped up, wanting to show her appreciation for everything he had done for her.
"Thank you, Sally," he just watched her, how could she think she wasn't pretty? At this moment, he thought her beautiful.
Then she gave her self some.
"All right, I'm ready" she said, closing her eyes and placing her hands together in an attitude of prayer. "Will you say grace, Cabot?"
"Huh?" Cabot paused and saw her hands. Oh he hadn't expected that.
"Well, haven't done that since Ma led us all in prayer back at the farm when I was a boy. Army didn't do no praying," he explained.
"So pardon if it ain't fancy," he then bowed his head.
"Lord, bless this food for which we are grateful you have provided. Amen."
He looked up.