Justus couldn't quite decide if Constance was serious, or was pulling his leg. It sounded pretty absurd to him, but then, it had happened a long time ago, and someplace else, and he couldn't see any reason she'd make it up.
"Well, th' Injuns ride that way since they're little, so maybe they got callouses?" he suggested, chuckling. "An' they made a statue to her? Like, all naked in th' town square? I'd like ta see that. Ain't Coventry in Wisconsin'er someplace? I wonder if she looks anything like Miss Arabella?"
"Well, th' Injuns ride that way since they're little, so maybe they got callouses?" he suggested, chuckling.
"You will have to ask next time you see one of them," Constance chuckled too.
He still was fascinated by the tale though, that was for certain. Interesting.
"An' they made a statue to her? Like, all naked in th' town square? I'd like ta see that. Ain't Coventry in Wisconsin'er someplace? I wonder if she looks anything like Miss Arabella?"
"Yes, yes they did. I read it in a newspaper story back in Cincinnati. Coventry is in England, I did say that. England is across the sea," she corrected him.
"So...." she grinned, "You like the sight of naked ladies do you? Why am I not surprised." Men!
"Since I have never seen pictures of this Lady Godiva I cannot compare her looks to Arabella. But she looked fine up there. She is quite pretty and quite the character too from the little I've talked with her. I enjoy her."
"I know where England is," Justus defended, although he wasn't really certain he could point it out on a map, "an' no, I don't like naked wemmen..." How had the conversation gotten here? This really wasn't a good start!
"Since I have never seen pictures of this Lady Godiva I cannot compare her looks to Arabella. But she looked fine up there. She is quite pretty and quite the character too from the little I've talked with her. I enjoy her."
"Since I have never seen pictures of this Lady Godiva I cannot compare her looks to Arabella. But she looked fine up there. She is quite pretty and quite the character too from the little I've talked with her. I enjoy her."
"But if ya talked to her, why'd you not never seen her?" Justus asked, confused. "I imagine she'd hafta be some sort'a character, ta go ridin' naked through town. Or is that somethin' folks do in England? When was it went there?"
"I know where England is," Justus answered, "an' no, I don't like naked wemmen..."
"You don't like naked women just statues of naked women? You just said you'd like to see that statue," Constance was giving the poor man a hard time but it was so fun.
Then he seemed to be getting more confused the more this chat went on.
"But if ya talked to her, why'd you not never seen her?" Justus asked, confused. "I imagine she'd hafta be some sort'a character, ta go ridin' naked through town. Or is that somethin' folks do in England? When was it went there?"
"No, no, I was talking about Arabella up on that stage. Lady Godiva was in the Middle Ages...like...1300s or there abouts," she chuckled.
"Maybe you better pick the next topic to talk about?"
"We gotta have a topic?" Justus wasn't sure how to pick a topic, although he supposed if some naked lady from a long time ago in a land far, far away qualified as a topic. Still, he didn't have anything like that...just cows and cowboys, and no girl wanted to hear about that.
"So, um...ya ever been ta Texas? It's real different from here...hot an' humid, never seen snow before here. Gets right cold, too...here, I mean. But I like all th' trees an' stuff. 'Course, it's easier ta find cows where there's not so many trees ta hide behind. Sometimes it feels like them cows are hidin' an' watchin' an' laughin'..."
Well, that sounded kind of stupid, but it was too late now.
"Well, we do have to talk about something, correct? I mean a silent picnic would be so very uncomfortable," Constance pointed out.
"So, um...ya ever been ta Texas? It's real different from here...hot an' humid, never seen snow before here. Gets right cold, too...here, I mean. But I like all th' trees an' stuff. 'Course, it's easier ta find cows where there's not so many trees ta hide behind. Sometimes it feels like them cows are hidin' an' watchin' an' laughin'..."at least he picked a topic, he was trying.
"Actually, no I have not. This is the furthest west I have been and as far as a southerly direction, Illinois is it and yes, I know that is hardly considered to be south," she smiled.
"I doubt I would like it if things were too hot. I mean when one is cold one can always throw on more layers of clothing or sit by a fire. But you cannot simply take too much of one's clothing off because of the heat.......unless one is an Indian," she teased.
"Well, th' Injuns don't get all naked," Justus pointed out, "they hafta keep some parts covered just so they don't get all...uncomfortable." Justus shrugged. "'Course, I never did have cause ta peek at what's under their loin cloths, an' never did have a hankerin' ta wear one myself."
He was actually grateful that the civilized men wore pants, for many reasons, mostly for modesty. He couldn't imagine running around half-naked, with everything out there for all the world to see.
"Had a sunburn once, on my shoulders," he mused, now voicing his thoughts aloud, "it stung pretty bad, I can't imagine havin' a burn on my...ya know," he stopped himself quickly, "I seen a man once in a skirt...just ta his knees, all pleated an' plaid, a kilt. Not fer me, neither."
Now Justus ruminated on Indians and their clothing or lack of. Constance was amused by it all.
"'Course, I never did have cause ta peek at what's under their loin cloths, an' never did have a hankerin' ta wear one myself," he seemed to take this little conversation way too seriously.
"Oh? Really? You might look real good in one of those handkerchief size loin clothes," she teased him, just to see how redfaced he might get.
"Had a sunburn once, on my shoulders," he mused, now voicing his thoughts aloud, "it stung pretty bad, I can't imagine havin' a burn on my...ya know," he stopped himself quickly.
"I had a bad sun burn once too, know what you mean," Constance commiserated with him.
"I seen a man once in a skirt...just ta his knees, all pleated an' plaid, a kilt. Not fer me, neither," he declared.
"Ohh, sure! Thats a kilt alright...the skirt he wore. Scotsmen wear those from back in the old country. More now for special occasions. I saw them marching in a parade back in Cincinnati...playing bagpipes if you know what that is. It is one strange sound but I liked it," she added.
"Pipes in a bag? How's that work?" Justus was grateful that he was behind her so she couldn't see the deep red tint in his cheeks. "Now, I seen a man playin' a horn near as big as he was...tubu, I think someone said it was? That was when th' circus come ta Granbury. That was really somethin'! They had big elephants that helped put up th' tents, an' everyone from town come out ta watch. There was some other critters, huge cats an' such, locked up in cages, but I didn't get ta see th' real show."
He shrugged, shifting the reins in his hands so he had to hold Constance a bit tighter. "Would'a liked ta see that. Maybe someday. Ya ever seen anything like that in th' big city?"
"They're called bag pipes but come to think of it, it is this bag like, bladder like thing with some pipes coming out and the person playing it blows into it. But honestly, I don't know much more than that. Apparently is big in Scotland though," Constance tried to explain.
"Now, I seen a man playin' a horn near as big as he was...tubu, I think someone said it was?" Justus continued.
"Tuba, it's called a tuba. My cousin could play that one," Constance interjected.
"That was when th' circus come ta Granbury. That was really somethin'! They had big elephants that helped put up th' tents, an' everyone from town come out ta watch. There was some other critters, huge cats an' such, locked up in cages, but I didn't get ta see th' real show."
"Of course, a circus!" she fondly recalled those from back home.
He shrugged, shifting the reins in his hands so he had to hold Constance a bit tighter. "Would'a liked ta see that. Maybe someday. Ya ever seen anything like that in th' big city?"
"Actually I've been to circuses in Cincinnati, they were always very exciting," Constance smiled at the good memories, "One of my favorites was these people swinging up high on trapeezes they called them. It looked quite dangerous, I'd never try it, that is for certain."
"If we get a railroad in town someday, I bet a circus will show up eventually. That's normally how they travel about in the East," she ventured an opinion.