"My mother raised me to be a gentleman even if I don't look it," Cabot replied with a bit of a smile
"Ha! Well, my mother tried to raise me to be a lady, and see how that turned out!" Mrs Patterson Forde barked a laugh.
"Got no use for the likes of Miller."
"No, he's a clown... the unfunny kind" agreed the woman "I wish I'd seen you slug him."
"A little tap from Mr Flagg goes a long way, Patty, that feller fairly flew through the air" Baur assured her.
"Frank tells me you used to be a bounty hunter." she said, a slightly suspicious gleam in her basilisk eyes.
"Well, after the war ended, yes, ma'am. I don't do it no more. Lookin' to settle down here in Kalispell now," Turk nodded.
She nodded with every indication of satisfaction with that answer. She looked again at Flagg, like she was trying to see right through to his core, then spoke.
"Frank here's been offered a contract to supply a new mining camp with vittles and such, sutler. You know some of those miners make good money; and there's a good profit to be made in supplying them with goods and services in situ. The money burns a hole in their pockets. He came to ask for my help."
"Patty used to run something similar out in Panamint City." Baur explained.
'Patty' never took her eyes off Flagg.
"I told him what he really needs is a partner... an honest one who's not afraid of hard work and maybe wants to lay down roots here" she said, directly enough.
"Well, after the war ended, yes, ma'am. I don't do it no more. Lookin' to settle down here in Kalispell now," Turk nodded.
She nodded with every indication of satisfaction with that answer. She looked again at Flagg, like she was trying to see right through to his core, then spoke.
Cabot returned the gaze, though still a little puzzled about all this interest in him from total strangers.
"Frank here's been offered a contract to supply a new mining camp with vittles and such, sutler. You know some of those miners make good money; and there's a good profit to be made in supplying them with goods and services in situ. The money burns a hole in their pockets. He came to ask for my help."
"Oh, you have? Congratulations," Turk turned his glance the bearded man.
"Patty used to run something similar out in Panamint City." Baur explained.
"You did?" Turk was surprised.
"I told him what he really needs is a partner... an honest one who's not afraid of hard work and maybe wants to lay down roots here" she said, directly enough.
"You mean me? I mean that's flattering n' all. I might be looking for something better than cowhand but...what all does it entail? You said services..does that mean hookers n' such. I ain't comfortable with that sort of thing," Cabot was going to be right upfront.
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"Oh, you have? Congratulations," Turk turned his glance the bearded man.
Fank Baur grunted and looked uneasy about it all, maybe because the whole thing had been handed him on a plate; he was more used to wheeling and dealing for his breaks. Patty Love, Patty Patterson Forde as she had been for the last 20 odd years, had always been a source of good hard honest advice for him, he wished he'd listened to her more in the past.
"Patty used to run something similar out in Panamint City." he explained.
"You did?" Turk was surprised.
"Yeah" she replied, simply enough. "Till the whole place got washed out last July." She didn't just mean her place - the whole town was destroyed in a flash flood on 24th July 1876.
"I told him what he really needs is a partner... an honest one who's not afraid of hard work and maybe wants to lay down roots here" Patty continued.
"You mean me? I mean that's flattering n' all. I might be looking for something better than cowhand but...what all does it entail? You said services..does that mean hookers n' such. I ain't comfortable with that sort of thing," Cabot was going to be right upfront.
Frank looked sort of proud of Flagg's morality and gave Patty a told you he was on the square look.
"Whores? Jesus Christ no!" Patty replied to Turk's question "Too much trouble. Those miners can either come in to town to get their ends away or suck each other's dicks."
Baur winced.
"Mainly food, me and Little Patty can take care of that side of things, booze, but just beer, no hard liquor, little treats and stuff like stationary, so they can write their silver-haired mothers how they're doing good in the territories, soap, laundry... that's where Sally comes in."
Talking of whom, there were sounds of giggling in the kitchen.
"Hey, Frank, go and see what those two are up to, how long's it take to boil a pot of coffee and slice an apple pie?"
The bearded man did as he was bid and once alone, Mrs Patterson Forde leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Listen Flagg, I'd better warn you, Baur's... well, he's full of good intentions, but... let's just say it'll be me and you doing most of the hard work on this, if you're in. And Sally, if she'll come on board. Problem is, we put most of our ready cash into this place, and I'm assuming as a saddle-tramp you don't have a pile of gold under your bunk, Frank can put money into it."
"Whores? Jesus Christ no!" Patty replied to Turk's question "Too much trouble. Those miners can either come in to town to get their ends away or suck each other's dicks."
Baur winced.
"Hardly think it'd come to that,"Turk was more bemused than horrified at the woman's vulgarity.
"Mainly food, me and Little Patty can take care of that side of things, booze, but just beer, no hard liquor, little treats and stuff like stationary, so they can write their silver-haired mothers how they're doing good in the territories, soap, laundry... that's where Sally comes in."
"If Sally agrees to this of course, it has to be her decision," Cabot pointed out.
Talking of whom, there were sounds of giggling in the kitchen.
"Hey, Frank, go and see what those two are up to, how long's it take to boil a pot of coffee and slice an apple pie?"
The bearded man did as he was bid and once alone, Mrs Patterson Forde leaned forward conspiratorially.
"Listen Flagg, I'd better warn you, Baur's... well, he's full of good intentions, but... let's just say it'll be me and you doing most of the hard work on this, if you're in. And Sally, if she'll come on board. Problem is, we put most of our ready cash into this place, and I'm assuming as a saddle-tramp you don't have a pile of gold under your bunk, Frank can put money into it."
That wasn't exactly what Turk wanted to hear, sounded like the man might not be a dependable partner. That could lead to complications. And he had no experience in this sort of thing.
"I get wages on the ranch of course but that would stop when take this new job," Turk realized aloud.
"Say, what's your husband say about all this? I take it he is at least aware of this here plan?" he had a question of his own for the woman.
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"I get wages on the ranch of course but that would stop when take this new job," Turk realized aloud.
Mrs Patterson Forde nodded. "Mmm, same with Sally. You know they overpay her ridiculously at that Saloon: $40 a month for washing beer glasses and cleaning out spittoons. I reckon that old geezer Priest's sweet on her or something. Another good reason to get her out of there."
"Say, what's your husband say about all this? I take it he is at least aware of this here plan?" he had a question of his own for the woman.
"My husband?! ... oh yes, I'd forgotten about him. Frankly, he'll be glad I've got something to keep me occupied, I've been a little restless since we got this place all set up. You must understand, Mister Flagg, my husband and his brother and my boys are fine craftsmen, but they have no idea of business. I deal with all that."
Indeed, Florence Patterson Forde had sometimes been heard to say that Papa and Uncle Pat make the pants and boots, but Mama wears 'em!
"There's something else I should tell you before you go away and think this over" Patty continued "... I've always run legitimate businesses, no monkey business, but when we were in Panamint City, well, it was pretty rough. There was no local law to speak of, and sometimes to protect my family and our business, I had to do things that weren't quite... nice or ladylike. I'm sure you understand. Secondly, I should tell you, before you hear it from someone else, that my younger brother has been in a little trouble with the law and has a price on his head. That is why I was a little suspicious when I heard you'd been a bounty hunter." the hard headed woman looked a little misty eyed for once "Poor little Tommy, it's all my fault really, I whacked him over the head with a baseball bat when we were children and he was never quite the same after that. Such a sweet, simple soul really, just a little peculiar sometimes, you understand."
She glanced up with a little wistful smile at an old tintype from the '50s on the wall which showed two rather unpleasant looking children staring out.
"Thomas Gage Love, $1100, Dead or Alive... and yet such a loving little brother" she turned once more to Turk "I hope you forgive a sister's silly sentimentality, Mister Flagg, but don't worry I have no illusions, I'm afraid my brother is a lost cause. Luckily he hasn't been in these parts since he did the Whitefish bank job in '75, he won't be a bother."
"Forty a month? That's more than a lot of cowhands make," Cabot declared, quite surprised. Maybe Sally shouldn't quit her job for this risky new enterprise? But then that should be her decision.
He inquired about Patty's husband but she assured him he was happy that the woman could find something to keep her busy and of course it would mean more income for the family.
"There's something else I should tell you before you go away and think this over" Patty continued "... I've always run legitimate businesses, no monkey business, but when we were in Panamint City, well, it was pretty rough. There was no local law to speak of, and sometimes to protect my family and our business, I had to do things that weren't quite... nice or ladylike. I'm sure you understand. Secondly, I should tell you, before you hear it from someone else, that my younger brother has been in a little trouble with the law and has a price on his head. That is why I was a little suspicious when I heard you'd been a bounty hunter." the hard headed woman looked a little misty eyed for once "
"Been in places and situations like that that were lawless. You do what you have to. Yep but that's in the past, like I said," Cabot assured her.
The woman blamed herself for hitting her little brother. What was all this leading to anyhow?
"Thomas Gage Love, $1100, Dead or Alive... and yet such a loving little brother" she turned once more to Turk "I hope you forgive a sister's silly sentimentality, Mister Flagg, but don't worry I have no illusions, I'm afraid my brother is a lost cause. Luckily he hasn't been in these parts since he did the Whitefish bank job in '75, he won't be a bother."
"Ahh, yeah, I recall seeing posters for him. I'll be honest, if I'da had the chance, I'd have went for him. Never did though," Cabot admitted.
Still the longer this woman went on, the less appetizing this job offer sounded. He wondered what else she had to reveal or even worse, what if there were things she wasn't even going to let him know?
"Ahh, yeah, I recall seeing posters for him. I'll be honest, if I'da had the chance, I'd have went for him. Never did though," Cabot admitted.
"Well, I'm glad about that." Patty said "He's already put a couple of reward-chasers in the ground, and I rather think I like you, Mister Flagg, I wouldn't like you to have made a third. I'm glad you're here. You're just the sort of man we need to be involved in this whole scheme... a real man." She was clearly pretty confident that Flagg wouldn't have been the one to put her brother in the ground, but as his sister, that was, perhaps, a forgivable bit of bias.
"Well, now you've heard the worst of us. Have a think about it and let me know." she said sensibly.
The door burst open and the other three came back in, Sally and Baur laughing and joking, Flo looking less impressed.
"Mister Baur's been telling us some funny stories!" Sally chirped as she plonked a plate of apple pie in front of Turk.
"Decent ones I hope." said Mrs Patterson Forde a little sourly. She'd heard some of the bearded man's 'anecdotes' and they were hardly suitable for young ladies's ears.
"Hey, I wouldn't say anything indecent in front of Miss Sally - I've seen how Mister Flagg here deals with fellers who do that!" Baur replied.
Sally just beamed up at her hero Cabot.
"I don't need any man to stick up for me!" said Flo truculently.
"Of course you don't" her mother assured her "You've got me."
Baur looked from the tough cowboy Flagg to the middle aged frump Patty Patterson Forde. He knew who he was more scared of.
Well, it sure had been quite a day alright, he hadn't been fishing for many a year as best as he could recall, and for certain, he had never been put in the position where he was going to take a bride. But then he'd never met someone like Sally either. Despite her constant putting herself down, Cabot, on the other hand, had been won over by her innocence, sweetness, and ways. Yes, he knew there would be those who would frown upon all this, say he was too old for her, or she too young for him. None of their damn business.
He and Sally had walked back from the Fordes to the saloon, to the side door where employees entered. He bid her a good night and promised her he would find a way into town in the next couple days at least. He might be getting a new job soon enough but for now he was still a ranch hand.
And finally, he matched her gaze upward with his own down into that sweet doe eyed face and kissed her a goodnight.
And to think, it all started with a simple fishing trip.
