"Of course you know what you're talking about.  You were smart enough to marry me, so you must know what you're talking about."  She gave him a sweet smile, then shrugged.  "I'm sure everything will be just fine when we get home, and you're right, we'll have plenty of time to talk out all the possibilities, and make plans for whatever might happen."

Fortunately, even if things back home we're as they were expecting, they had the means to carry on and rebuild, and even without money, they both had drive and will-power to start over...and it would be just as good as if nothing had changed.

Finished with her meal, she leaned back and sighed.  "A brief walk will be just the thing, and then to bed early, so we don't miss our train!"  Not that she really thought that was a possibility, but it was better to be safe, and she wanted to be rested against the physical toll that the pregnancy took.

"Of course you know what you're talking about. You were smart enough to marry me, so you must know what you're talking about." She gave him a sweet smile, then shrugged. "I'm sure everything will be just fine when we get home, and you're right, we'll have plenty of time to talk out all the possibilities, and make plans for whatever might happen."

He looked skeptically at her, "I know what I'm talking about? Yes, I made one right move, but that does not mean I know what I'm talking about all the time. I didn't," he leaned forward and continued in hushed tones of a low voice, "didn't even know what kind of money I had in the bank in Helena." Then he sat back. "But yes, I did make the right decision, best one of my whole life!"

Finished with her meal, she leaned back and sighed. "A brief walk will be just the thing, and then to bed early, so we don't miss our train!" Not that she really thought that was a possibility, but it was better to be safe, and she wanted to be rested against the physical toll that the pregnancy took.

"Sounds about right to me." He agreed. The Capitol building is just across the street, while the mint's back a couple blocks, your choice." He offered.

"Well, if the Capitol is just across the street, that won't take long," Emeline pointed out, "but the offices are probably closed already, so we can just walk around it, and see the exterior on our way to the mint."  That wouldn't take long.  "And I doubt that we'd be able to go in there anyway, they might think that we are bandits, looking to steal gold!

She laughed and scooted her chair back, waiting for Barnabas to pull it out all the way for her.  It would be fascinating to actually get a tour of the mint, but that likely required some planning, and there wasn't time for that.  "At least we have a beautiful evening for a stroll!"

"Yes Ma'am, A nice stroll of an evening." He said, as he stepped away from the table and scooted Emeline's chair back for her. He left a tip on the table and escorted her to the concierge's booth where he set several coins on the cage deck. "Gamblin's in the next room, not somethin' I recommend." He smiled, "Easy way to lose yer shirt."

He guided her to the doorway, opened the door for her, and stepped out just behind her. "Nice this time of the evenin'. Light breeze to cool things off some. Now, we just make our way through this traffic, you can see that the grounds around the capitol are takin' shape, Some of them trees are full grown now, others are just coming' on ta maturity. Not like home where the forest around the place is a jumble of old and new."

He guided her easily across the somewhat busy main thoroughfare and on toward the Capitol building. They stopped and looked at the building's exterior.

"That's really impressive."  Emeline smiled as she looked over the building and grounds, her arm hooked into Barnabas'.  "I hope becoming the county seat doesn't ruin Kalispell," she mused.  "It could bring in all sorts of riff-raff, and get so big..." she shrugged.  "I just like that you know most of the folks in town, and that everyone helps each other.  I don't want that to change, nor to worry about crossing the street because there is so much traffic."

Some of it was inevitable, of course, over time, but she never wanted it to get so big that it was impersonal and spread out, and with the influx of people to a county seat, it would be hard to keep it the same.

"I wonder if the state capitol will stay in Helena once we become a state?  Fortunately, I think Kalispell is too remote to suffer that fate!"

"That's really impressive." Emeline smiled as she looked over the building and grounds, her arm hooked into Barnabas'. "I hope becoming the county seat doesn't ruin Kalispell," she mused. "It could bring in all sorts of riff-raff, and get so big..." she shrugged. "I just like that you know most of the folks in town, and that everyone helps each other. I don't want that to change, nor to worry about crossing the street because there is so much traffic."

"Far as I know, the territory of Montana has already been cut up into counties, an' Kalispell's already the County Seat, so I doubt that'll change, an' yer right about knowin' everyone in town. I like that myself, but as far as riff-raff is concerned, that'll be because of the railroad." He smiled and squeezed her hand. "That'll change things for sure."

"I wonder if the state capitol will stay in Helena once we become a state? Fortunately, I think Kalispell is too remote to suffer that fate!"

"Not sure Helena will lose being the state capitol, I mean it could, and no, it won't be for Kalispell. Not saying that it won't move, because it surely could." He replied it could move to any number of places as it already had, but Kalispell was both too small as yet and too remote. "I figger that we'll not see huge growth once the railroad passes through and whatever boom that provides. Nope, we're destined to be a small town for some time to come."

"I'm fine with a small town," Emeline murmured, "and I really doubt the railroad will be more than a stopping-off place, a lot of people passing through, but not staying.  Of course, there will be permanent jobs to support that, but not so much the town will get lost."

What with the cattle, lumber and mining industries, Kalispell would likely be a stop for taking on products to distribute throughout the west, and there were jobs that would be specific to that.  Not only that, but it would make those industries more lucrative, so that would require more employees...

"Well, Helena is welcome to the capitol, and the notoriety that comes with it!"  They started strolling again.  "Montana is cold and remote, I don't think it will ever be as populated as the states back east.  More cows than people, just the way I like it!"

He laughed, "Yes, Helena is fine as the Capital. Us being county seat for what they're calling Flathead County, will be recognition enough. Growth is bound to happen, it's just how things are. But, seriously, I doubt we'll lose that small-town aura. Fact is, I'm betting once the cyclone that is the railroad being built passes us, well, she'll settle down again, and pretty much be the same as it was, just a little bigger's all."

The evening was pleasant, a slight breeze out of the west ruffling the leaves on the trees and in the shrubs, but not enough to be unpleasant, the sun dipping slowly behind the Sierra Nevada mountains as dusk worked its way in, with dark soon to follow. But they walked on a ways, then recrossed the street and headed back toward the hotel.

"The mint's not that far if you want to continue on." He offered, not especially tired and willing to walk as long as Em was willing and comfortable enough to continue. He also thought that her condition, though not so advanced as to require larger clothing, was certainly something he needed to be aware of as they headed home.

"I think I have a few blocks left in me."  Emeline was enjoying these quiet strolls, intimate, thoughtful time that would be rare once they were home.  "You might have to carry me back, but I'm sure I can make it there."  She grinned up at him.  "May as well take advantage of the evening, since we'll be on a train again most of tomorrow."

While the train was faster, it could get a little stuffy, and Emeline was looking forward to time on the trail.  The weather was decent, so long as they didn't run into too many thunderstorms, she was sure she would enjoy the rest of the trip home...it would be a good way to get back to a working life.

"Is that the mint?"  She nodded to a formidable but rather elegant building, surrounded by a fence.  "To think that all that gold and silver are in there.  I'd think the fences would be taller!"

Hand in hand they strolled along the walkway, the city was still alive and active with people walking as they were to and fro, in and out of businesses and restaurants. Carriages moved through the streets. Horses with riders, actually the streets were busy, but that might well be people hurrying home as the dusk approached them.

Lights began coming on in the windows of shops still open when they came toward the mint.

"I think I have a few blocks left in me." Emeline was enjoying these quiet strolls, intimate, thoughtful time that would be rare once they were home. "You might have to carry me back, but I'm sure I can make it there." She grinned up at him. "May as well take advantage of the evening, since we'll be on a train again most of tomorrow."

"Might be all day on that train, but it will cut a lot of time off the trip home." He replied enjoying the end of the afternoon. "Though carrying you back was not part of the plan, you understand. But, we'll manage. I assure you, Ma'am." He chided.

"Is that the mint?" She nodded to a formidable but rather elegant building, surrounded by a fence. "To think that all that gold and silver are in there. I'd think the fences would be taller!"

"It is. You would, but then once you were over that fence, getting to the gold and silver would be another problem for the bandits." He grinned, "There are plenty of heavily locked doors and barred windows, not to mention the guards on duty. No easy task robbing the mint. If you were a mind to." They stood for a few minutes before he said, "Oughtta get back, don't you think? Long day tomorrow. But it's one I'm looking forward to."

The end of their odyssey was at hand. In what amounted to a few short hours, they would be on a train heading north, they were well supplied, and that was not a problem. Once at end of track, or whatever the town was called they would be spending their last night in whatever accommodations were available before pulling out at first light for home.