It had been a fair fight, in parts, and Leonora now realised that she hadn't really stood a snowball-in-Hell's chance against the older, more experienced and much more forceful Mrs Martin from the beginning. What had she to offer? Just 5 years' hard service on behalf of the KLA. Mrs Martin, on the other hand, offered herself as a Messiah, a one woman Angel of the Lord who would cleanse the Sodom & Gomorrah that Kalispell had (apparently) become.
No contest.
She hadn't even voted for herself, that hadn't seemed quite decent. And neither, for that matter, had anyone else.
She decided to do the right thing and pushed her way through the crowd of sycophantic minions surrounding the successful candidate.
"Congratulations, Mrs Martin... er, Madame President; I hope there are no hard feelings on your part, for there are none on mine." she said, holding out her hand.
Mrs Wigfall, standing next to Elizabeth Martin, gave a sniff.
"You didn't really think that you had a chance, did you Leonora?" she chided the young woman "Someone whose Grandmother brews illicit alcohol and distributes it under the name of 'chill tonic'?"
"... let alone someone whose cousin is due to be brought to Kalispell next week and hanged for murder." put in Anæsthesia Orr, who was there with her simpering mother. Dorothy Orr wasn't a particular admirer of Mrs Martin, but was absolutely terrified of her and would do whatever the woman told her to do. Her daughter, however, was quite the supporter.
"Oh well, at least your brother Jake is a fine upstanding member of the community" she allowed "I was very disappointed not to be invited to his wedding last year... then again, it was all done in rather a hurry wasn't it?"
"Hmm, that Clara Lutz, she gives herself such airs, too" Mrs Wigfall muttered to Mrs Martin "Still, her baby is remarkably big and bonny considering that the poor thing was born only six months after the wedding."
So seething was Leonora Lutz at this barrage of malicious (but unfortunately true) gossip that she had quite forgotten that she was still standing there with her hand stuck out.
"You know, as President, you should really have a look at the membership list, Mrs Martin. The last incumbent allowed all sorts of riff-raff to join." added Mary Wigfall, looking Leonora's humiliated form up and down.
Elizabeth had momentarily been distracted by Mrs Wigfall's and the other ladies fawning that she didn't see the hand offered by Leonora Lutz. She took it and gave it a gentle shake before letting it go. "Thank you, Miss Lutz. May I say that you had a wonderful go...perhaps you will do better next time. As for the membership, that as well as other things within the society need a good going over as it seems we have been remiss in not making our voices heard."
She then turned to Anæsthesia Orr. The poor girl had such a dreadful name and even more dreadful mother but Elizabeth wasn't about to say that publicly. Women like Dorothy Orr and the even more unpleasant Mary Wigfall had their uses and so she wasn't quite ready to dispense of them. However, a time would come after she had successfully achieved her plan, she would be firm on the agenda of cleaning up Kalispell, while maintaining a pleasant, if not cordial manner.
"Miss Orr, I plan to talk to the Marshall and perhaps Judge Townsend on this unfortunate turn of events. A public hanging is something we do not wish to promote or even attend. Imagine the riff-raff that will come to town just to see the spectacle. We have enough problems with the influx of miners that will spending their Saturday nights here in town."
She paused to think what was going to say next. The need to keep those on who didn't vote for at least satisfy, she would have to address something else that was said, "Now ladies, as for speaking ill of other ladies in this town who are unable to attend our meetings for various reasons, I will not have it. Even if they have done questionable things in their past, if they are now leading lives of respectability, then we should stay quiet and keep our opinions to ourselves."
@ [Javia
"No Irish!"
"Miss Orr, I plan to talk to the Marshall and perhaps Judge Townsend on this unfortunate turn of events. A public hanging is something we do not wish to promote or even attend. Imagine the riff-raff that will come to town just to see the spectacle. We have enough problems with the influx of miners that will spending their Saturday nights here in town."
Both Anæsthesia and Mary Wigfall had been rather looking forward to watching Zenobia Matthews swing: they were rather expecting the local law to bungle it, too, so instead of a quick drop and snap, they'd get a spectacle of the patricide kicking for a minute or two in a satisfying mid-air can-can. But they were diplomatic enough not to say so.
"Yes I, think it's dreadful." nodded Leonora with feeling. Mrs Orr also piped up "Yes, and those who pass over to the other side under such circumstances usually become restless spirits!" the bonkers spiritualist put in.
But the new President was speaking.
"Now ladies, as for speaking ill of other ladies in this town who are unable to attend our meetings for various reasons, I will not have it. Even if they have done questionable things in their past, if they are now leading lives of respectability, then we should stay quiet and keep our opinions to ourselves."
"I can provide you with a list of those who aren't leading lives of respectability" offered Mrs Wigfall "Would you like it in alphabetical order, Madame President, or by level of sinfulness?"
"That disgusting old bawd, Mrs Adams. will be at the top of the list either way" pointed out Anæsthesia, primly.
"Judge not, lest ye be judged" muttered Leonora to herself.
"I can provide you with a list of those who aren't leading lives of respectability" offered Mrs Wigfall "Would you like it in alphabetical order, Madame President, or by level of sinfulness?"
"I'm sure you can," Ellizabeth answered in a pleasant tone.
"That disgusting old bawd, Mrs Adams. will be at the top of the list either way" pointed out Anæsthesia, primly.
"Now, Miss Orr...even though I agree with you, this is not the time nor the place to throw mud. Once I have settled into my new position, we will have plenty of time to discuss matters like this. Mrs Adams and her establishment is one of many battles we have to face. We must decide which ones are the important ones and work our way down the list. After all, we can't fight every battle at the same time."
Since Leonora had some supporters, Elizabeth knew that it would be wise to make sure to involve her in any future endeavours. "Miss Lutz, the way you ran your campaign proves that you are very capable of handling and organising a large group of people. I would be honoured if I could count on your help with any events or fundraisers the society may hold in the future."
@ [Javia}
Everybody agreed with Mrs Martin that they should proceed slowly but surly, step by step, in ruthlessly eradicating sin and corruption in their fair burg.
"Miss Lutz, the way you ran your campaign proves that you are very capable of handling and organising a large group of people. I would be honoured if I could count on your help with any events or fundraisers the society may hold in the future."
"Of course, it would give me great pleasure to continue to support the worthy activities of the Association" replied Leonora. That she wouldn't support some of the possibly unworthy activities that might be coming up under Mrs Martin's iron rule was left unsaid at this juncture.
"But it is sometimes so very difficult to know what is worthy and what is unworthy, is it not?" asked Mrs Orr suddenly "I mean... I amin two minds about whether to attend this performance of The Innkeeper of Abbeville next week. On one hand, it is being put on for a very charitable cause, all the proceeds are to go to the repair of the dear little schoolhouse where I used to teach, but on the other hand, it will involve that dreadful Mudd girl! Do you know my successor, Miss Bowen, caught two of her young male pupils with a carte de visite of her, displaying herself in a most unpardonable pose!!"
"Yes, I heard abou that incident. A dreadful matter," Elizabeth replied, "I have spoken to Miss Hardy, the owner of the theatre company when she has visited the Mercantile. Even though she is an actress, she is one of the most sensible women I have meet. She is very aware of the problems, Miss Mudd has caused and she has assured me that they are being dealt with."
She paused and smiled graciously, "For now, I am happy to leave the matter in Miss Hardy's hands. If, for some reason it doesn't work, then we may need to step in."
In the larger scheme of things, it was better now to take things slow and steady. It was also important not to come on too strong or quickly and in some cases to allow other to curb immoral behaviour. To accomplish her long-term plans, she still needed to have people on her side.
"As for the upcoming performance, I am looking forward to it. The school does need some repairs and the play from what I know about it, is very appropriate. I do hope that you will all come to support this worthy cause."
@ [Javia
"No Irish!"
They all murmured their agreement.
From what was known, The Innkeeper of Abbeville was a now pretty long in the tooth melodrama of some 45-odd years' vintage which, apart from a good pinch of Gothic horror (there was a nice juicy murder at the very beginning), shouldn't offend too many people. Arabella was down to play the distraught sister (she liked doing distraught... it was a very active distraught, too, with much wailing and throwing herself about on the stage) of the murdered man, Lady Emma.
At one point she had to run on stage in her nightie and announce the murder of said Baron Idenberg and even now Miss Kaufmann was putting together an item of bedwear for Arabella that would rewrite the definition of the word Diaphanous. The irony was that Arabella in real life always went to bed in three layers of thick flannel, woolly stockings and a hot water bottle.
"Well, Let us hope that Miss Mudd helps replace the roof, not raise it!" frowned Mrs Wigfall. ominously.
"We should check her costumes thoroughly" suggested Mrs Orr "We don't want anymore nasty surprises. Mister Reeve was with us at the Bible show and he really didn't know where to look!"
Anæsthesia suppressed a smirk. She'd been sitting next to the young lawyer, he'd known where to look all right.
"Oh, but Miss Hardy does take her part beautifully" cooed Mrs Orr.
"Oh she does!" agreed Mrs Wigfall.
"Well, I am sure Miss Hardy knows what she is doing. Besides I think it will be in her best interests to make sure that Miss Mudd behaves."
Seeing that there were other ladies keen to congratulate her on her win, Elizabeth smiled graciously, "Now, if you don't mind ladies, I have other people to speak to on other matters."
She turned to Anæsthesia, "Miss Orr, I do hope that you will come by and visit me at the Mercantile soon. Perhaps we can arrange a time to have afternoon tea to get to know each other better. I do believe in nurturing our young ladies as they are the future. Don't you agree?"
"Ladies should be seen and not heard"
Pretty Anæsthesia Orr was pretty sure that she was pretty much perfect, so no, she didn't feel that she needed to be 'nurtured'. On the other hand, she was looking forward to witnessing, and helping with, the strident Mrs Martin's campaign to 'clean up Kalispell': she liked drama and she loved to see people pilloried. And although she liked to appear the 'Lady Bountiful' delivering food parcels to the needy and helping the illiterate wagon driver Addy Chappel learn to read, at heart she was the same snooty little school bully who had terrorised the schoolyard back in the day.
So it was, a couple of days later, that the blonde young woman in a white and pink confection of a dress, fashionable bonnet, petite white gloves and parasol, was deposited by her escort, Mr Lewis Reeve, at the door of the Kalispell Mercantile.
"Do wait Lew" she commanded her cousin and, walking in, demanded of the store clerk "Is Mrs Martin receiving visitors? It is Miss Orr."
Anna lifted her head from the ledger she had been filling in. She knew who Anæsthesia Orr but she hadn't properly been introduced to her. When she was working over at the General Store, Miss Orr rarely, if ever came by because they sold everyday items, food and equipment...things a person like her would never be interested in. Whereas the Mercantile dealt in more expensive items like stationery supplies (for school, home and business), books, trinkets, dry goods, and household items as well as toiletries and cigars. Mrs. Martin also made sure that the Mercantile carried food items that the General Store didn't, especially things like tea and spices.
On her first day at the Mercantile, Anna had noticed that it carried different foodstuffs to what the General Store. When she got home and told her brother Kurt about it, he said that he wouldn't be surprised if the two main stores in town had some sort of deal going due to the limited space that each had to sell things in. Kurt has also mentioned that Mrs. Martin was a smart woman and she would have probably made sure that she got her share of the small pie that was Kalispell's retail income.
Even though Kurt had already formed an opinion of Mrs. Martin, Anna was still very much in neutral territory. She couldn't think of something bad to say about the woman who had offered her a job that paid an extra two dollars per week more than she had gotten at the General Store. Only time would tell if her opinion of the woman would sway in either direction.
Smiling, she turned her attention to Anæsthesia, "Good day, Miss Orr. Mrs. Martin has briefly left the store on business and will be back presently. Would you to like to take a seat and wait. If not you can look around the store."