Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Wizards, Whiskey and Wonderful Things - Concluded
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2644883" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 64, “Laurie Gilson", Thursday, March 16th, 1882, 11:00 P.M. </strong> </p><p></p><p><strong><em>Twenty-one months earlier...... </em></strong></p><p>Peter and Laurie Gilson arrived in the newly established mining town of Promise City. Silver had been discovered at the breakheart mine and had the 'promise' of being of substantial yield, perhaps even greater than the quantities found in Tombstone. As one of the first businesses in town, they had the choice of real estate in town. They selected a spot for their bathhouse near the intersection of South and Allen Streets. It was adjacent to the recently constructed Comstock House Boarding House, built for the Breakheart workers, and across the street from where the Promise City Hotel was slated to be built. </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Nineteen months earlier.... </em></strong></p><p>"Sir, the cost of the bath is fifty cents, that was explained when you came in." "Too damned much, the water weren't even hot," the hairy pot-bellied prospector named Hector Frockley answered as he got dressed. "Sir, I am a businessman. You must understand the need to pay for services rendered," Peter explained. "Ain't got it," Frockley answered. Peter replied, "Perhaps you have something of value that you could give me instead." "Yeah, I got this," the man said as he pointed his Smith and Wesson revolver at the bathhouse owner's face and fired. </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Eighteen months earlier.... </em></strong></p><p>The crowd at the makeshift courthouse in Wilcox, Arizona was silent. Newly appointed Judge Nathan Isby had heard all of the evidence. He had gotten the job due to his reputation as a strict and decisive lawman and they were unsure what to expect. </p><p></p><p>Isby announces "Deputy Sheriff Breckenridge, you may release the prisoner. I find her not guilty. Mrs. Gilson had ample justification to shoot and kill Hector Frockley. He had not only just shot her husband Mr. Gilson but was a danger to both her and her other customers." </p><p></p><p>Laurie's looks up and says "Thank you Judge. You are a fair and just man. If you ever come to Promise City I hope that you take the time to visit the bathhouse." The Judge looks surprised by that comment and says, "You plan to continue it?" She replies, "Yes Sir, it is what Peter would have wanted." </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Three hours earlier</em></strong></p><p>Ruby West had make it around sixty feet west of the El Parador before the evening's over-indulgence with alcohol gets to her. She staggers and wanders over to the nearest door which she can barely make out to be Gilson's Bath House. She collapses onto the front step and pounds on the door. By the time Laurie Gilson opens the door Ruby is busy throwing up in the nearest rain gutter. Laurie helps Ruby inside the building and helps her into the bedroom. Laurie says, "You lie down, I'll go draw you a bath."</p><p></p><p>"You've very sweet," Ruby slurred as Laurie walked out of the room. She laid back on the bed and the room started spinning. The truth was, her life had started spinning the minute George Eastman walked back into it. He was nice enough and she had been tempted. But Ruby had made her decision to stay with Jake, for good or for bad. Then there was the issue of fifty thousand dollars. Ruby had no idea George would offer so much for her. And Jake had turned it down, Ruby had no doubts about that. What she did have doubts about was if Jake really wanted it or not. Oh sure, he wanted it, but at what price? </p><p></p><p>Ruby sat back up to try to stop the spinning. Laurie came back into the bedroom and guided Ruby to the bath. A nice warm comforting bath. She helped her get her dress off and stayed with her while she soaked. Laurie was talking but Ruby didn't hear anything she said. Laurie tried to get her to drink some coffee but Ruby waved it off. "You think better when you're impaired," Ruby tells her. </p><p></p><p>Earlier she had told Jake things she had never told anyone before, but she had also reminded herself of things she tried to forget, about who she really was. Happiness was just something Ruby didn't know how to hold onto. But if she could, she would help Jake be happy, payment for all he had done for her the last three months. </p><p></p><p>"Ruby? Ruby!" Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. "Time to get out of the bath, you're falling asleep." Ruby said nothing but stood up, unsteadily, and wrapped herself in the robe from Laurie. Laurie was guiding her somewhere else. "Can you get Jake?" is the last thing Ruby remembered. </p><p></p><p>"Why don't you sleep some first, the last thing you need now is more drinking with your boyfriend," Laurie replies as she tucks Ruby into bed and covers her over with a handmade quilt. "What I don't do for my customers," she says to herself as she gets a mug of coffee.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Two hours earlier..... </em></strong></p><p>Laurie Gilson had just tucked Ruby West in and shut the door to the bedroom. This was the first time that anybody else had spent the night inside the building since Peter had died. Miss West was a good customer, as were her friends. Laurie ponders the excessive drinking that must have brought Ruby to find herself in such a state, "Youth is wasted on the young," she thinks. </p><p></p><p>In truth, Laurie was not that old herself, having just turned thirty-three. But she felt older. The last year-and-a-half had been hard on her. Business had dropped off after Johnson's Barber and Baths had opened. And the southeastern end of town, which had once seemed like such a great location had proved less than so. Most of her neighbors were now of the wood elvan and orcan races, and while they were nice and friendly people they were also poor, opting to bathe downstream in Pine Creek rather than her bathhouse. </p><p></p><p>Laurie had gotten into the habit of rising with the sun and going to bed early in the evening. She had been reading tonight and was about to turn in when Ruby had knocked on the door. Drawing the bath had also been physically exhausting for Laurie, as the task of hauling the buckets of water was normally done during business hours by her one employee Jules Huetra. Laurie sat down in her most comfortable chair and started to read again. She fell asleep within minutes. </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Now.... </em></strong></p><p>Knock, Knock, Knock. </p><p>Kate withdrew her hand from the door that she had just rapped on. They waited for a few minutes and there was still no answer. No light was visible from inside, the oil in the reading lamp having burned out an hour earlier. Inside the building Laurie lay sound asleep in the chair, oblivious to the visitors outside. </p><p></p><p>Kate balled up her fist and pounded as hard as she could on the door. She waited a few more moments, then stepped off the porch. The windows of the bathhouse were dark. She didn't know Laurie Gilson's habits, but she doubted the owner was out anywhere. More likely she had turned in early and hadn't seen anything. </p><p></p><p>Katherine sighed and gave the door one more try. It was getting harder to believe that Ruby was alright. She still didn't believe Mr. Eastman had done her any harm, but the fact that they couldn't find her.... Kate had seen Ruby drunk often enough to know that she should be able to get herself home. Ruby had warned her more than once what could happen to a woman alone on the street at night. It was obvious if Mrs. Gilson was home, she wasn't going to answer the door. Kate moved resolutely on to the next building and knocked.</p><p></p><p>Upstairs, Ruby West continued to sleep the night away in the bed, blissfully unaware of her recently reported death.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 2644883, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 64, “Laurie Gilson", Thursday, March 16th, 1882, 11:00 P.M. [/B] [B][I]Twenty-one months earlier...... [/I][/B][I][/I] Peter and Laurie Gilson arrived in the newly established mining town of Promise City. Silver had been discovered at the breakheart mine and had the 'promise' of being of substantial yield, perhaps even greater than the quantities found in Tombstone. As one of the first businesses in town, they had the choice of real estate in town. They selected a spot for their bathhouse near the intersection of South and Allen Streets. It was adjacent to the recently constructed Comstock House Boarding House, built for the Breakheart workers, and across the street from where the Promise City Hotel was slated to be built. [B][I]Nineteen months earlier.... [/I][/B][I][/I] "Sir, the cost of the bath is fifty cents, that was explained when you came in." "Too damned much, the water weren't even hot," the hairy pot-bellied prospector named Hector Frockley answered as he got dressed. "Sir, I am a businessman. You must understand the need to pay for services rendered," Peter explained. "Ain't got it," Frockley answered. Peter replied, "Perhaps you have something of value that you could give me instead." "Yeah, I got this," the man said as he pointed his Smith and Wesson revolver at the bathhouse owner's face and fired. [B][I]Eighteen months earlier.... [/I][/B][I][/I] The crowd at the makeshift courthouse in Wilcox, Arizona was silent. Newly appointed Judge Nathan Isby had heard all of the evidence. He had gotten the job due to his reputation as a strict and decisive lawman and they were unsure what to expect. Isby announces "Deputy Sheriff Breckenridge, you may release the prisoner. I find her not guilty. Mrs. Gilson had ample justification to shoot and kill Hector Frockley. He had not only just shot her husband Mr. Gilson but was a danger to both her and her other customers." Laurie's looks up and says "Thank you Judge. You are a fair and just man. If you ever come to Promise City I hope that you take the time to visit the bathhouse." The Judge looks surprised by that comment and says, "You plan to continue it?" She replies, "Yes Sir, it is what Peter would have wanted." [B][I]Three hours earlier[/I][/B][I][/I] Ruby West had make it around sixty feet west of the El Parador before the evening's over-indulgence with alcohol gets to her. She staggers and wanders over to the nearest door which she can barely make out to be Gilson's Bath House. She collapses onto the front step and pounds on the door. By the time Laurie Gilson opens the door Ruby is busy throwing up in the nearest rain gutter. Laurie helps Ruby inside the building and helps her into the bedroom. Laurie says, "You lie down, I'll go draw you a bath." "You've very sweet," Ruby slurred as Laurie walked out of the room. She laid back on the bed and the room started spinning. The truth was, her life had started spinning the minute George Eastman walked back into it. He was nice enough and she had been tempted. But Ruby had made her decision to stay with Jake, for good or for bad. Then there was the issue of fifty thousand dollars. Ruby had no idea George would offer so much for her. And Jake had turned it down, Ruby had no doubts about that. What she did have doubts about was if Jake really wanted it or not. Oh sure, he wanted it, but at what price? Ruby sat back up to try to stop the spinning. Laurie came back into the bedroom and guided Ruby to the bath. A nice warm comforting bath. She helped her get her dress off and stayed with her while she soaked. Laurie was talking but Ruby didn't hear anything she said. Laurie tried to get her to drink some coffee but Ruby waved it off. "You think better when you're impaired," Ruby tells her. Earlier she had told Jake things she had never told anyone before, but she had also reminded herself of things she tried to forget, about who she really was. Happiness was just something Ruby didn't know how to hold onto. But if she could, she would help Jake be happy, payment for all he had done for her the last three months. "Ruby? Ruby!" Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. "Time to get out of the bath, you're falling asleep." Ruby said nothing but stood up, unsteadily, and wrapped herself in the robe from Laurie. Laurie was guiding her somewhere else. "Can you get Jake?" is the last thing Ruby remembered. "Why don't you sleep some first, the last thing you need now is more drinking with your boyfriend," Laurie replies as she tucks Ruby into bed and covers her over with a handmade quilt. "What I don't do for my customers," she says to herself as she gets a mug of coffee. [B][I]Two hours earlier..... [/I][/B][I][/I] Laurie Gilson had just tucked Ruby West in and shut the door to the bedroom. This was the first time that anybody else had spent the night inside the building since Peter had died. Miss West was a good customer, as were her friends. Laurie ponders the excessive drinking that must have brought Ruby to find herself in such a state, "Youth is wasted on the young," she thinks. In truth, Laurie was not that old herself, having just turned thirty-three. But she felt older. The last year-and-a-half had been hard on her. Business had dropped off after Johnson's Barber and Baths had opened. And the southeastern end of town, which had once seemed like such a great location had proved less than so. Most of her neighbors were now of the wood elvan and orcan races, and while they were nice and friendly people they were also poor, opting to bathe downstream in Pine Creek rather than her bathhouse. Laurie had gotten into the habit of rising with the sun and going to bed early in the evening. She had been reading tonight and was about to turn in when Ruby had knocked on the door. Drawing the bath had also been physically exhausting for Laurie, as the task of hauling the buckets of water was normally done during business hours by her one employee Jules Huetra. Laurie sat down in her most comfortable chair and started to read again. She fell asleep within minutes. [B][I]Now.... [/I][/B][I][/I] Knock, Knock, Knock. Kate withdrew her hand from the door that she had just rapped on. They waited for a few minutes and there was still no answer. No light was visible from inside, the oil in the reading lamp having burned out an hour earlier. Inside the building Laurie lay sound asleep in the chair, oblivious to the visitors outside. Kate balled up her fist and pounded as hard as she could on the door. She waited a few more moments, then stepped off the porch. The windows of the bathhouse were dark. She didn't know Laurie Gilson's habits, but she doubted the owner was out anywhere. More likely she had turned in early and hadn't seen anything. Katherine sighed and gave the door one more try. It was getting harder to believe that Ruby was alright. She still didn't believe Mr. Eastman had done her any harm, but the fact that they couldn't find her.... Kate had seen Ruby drunk often enough to know that she should be able to get herself home. Ruby had warned her more than once what could happen to a woman alone on the street at night. It was obvious if Mrs. Gilson was home, she wasn't going to answer the door. Kate moved resolutely on to the next building and knocked. Upstairs, Ruby West continued to sleep the night away in the bed, blissfully unaware of her recently reported death. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Wizards, Whiskey and Wonderful Things - Concluded
Top