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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2814852" data-attributes="member: 8530">Prelude Part C, “Evening Entertainment”, Monday, May 22nd, 1882: They head a block north to the Comique Variety Hall and Saloon which is a 25x30 single-story brick building that is owned by Alfred Brower, Pierre Jaquet and piano player and bartender Warren Watson. It has three gambling tables with both poker and faro and has a reputation for having the most honest gaming in town. The primary entertainment is by Miss. Clairesse Townsend, who on Ruby West's nights off also sings at the Lucky Lady. Ruby greets Al and Pierre. "Gentlemen, I'm sorry, I can't believe I've never been here for evening's entertainment! Anyway, I'm here now with Ms. Duprey and Ms. Marcus for a little relaxation. Perhaps you'll have a chance to join us for a drink?" Ruby watches the exchange of eye contact and body language between Madge Duprey and the owners of the Comique. The natural assumption would have been that her secret lover was Pierre Jaquet, who had much in common with Madge. He was of French descent, a wizard, and the same age as her. Instead it appears obvious that they are just acquaintances, with the stolen glances of passion radiating between Madge and Mr. Alfred Brower. Brower takes charge of the group and ushers the women to one of the tables directly in front of the stage. He exclaims, "Ruby darling, how wonderful to see you here at last. I spend so much time at your Saloon it is about time that you reciprocated. And tonight is a special night for that too, are you here to listen to Sandra?" Ruby looks to Madge who says, "Sandra Wainright, Don's wife, this evening she's singing for the first time in public." Ruby is familiar with the woman as she is a friend of Kate's and her husband is one of Jake's regular poker players. The Wainrights own a General Store in town that carries a wide selection of musical instruments and is also the only place in town that gets copies of the latest sheet music to sell. Ruby says, "You are you right! It's bad that Jake and I haven't stopped in sooner. We've just been so busy lately..." All their recent adventures come to mind and Ruby thinks, Believe me, I wish we had been here instead of being chased by Cowboy and Vampires... "I wasn't aware Sandra was singing tonight but I'm certainly glad I'll be catching the show. I wonder if Kate knows she is preformed... Al, will she be singing here on a regular basis?" Al replies, "One step at a time, she's painfully shy about performing in public. We managed to talk her into playing piano two weeks ago but tonight will be her first attempt at vocals. Getting her up on stage is out of the question but she's agreed to sing while playing piano. According to Don she has a great singing voice." The opening performance is by Clairesse Townsend who comes out onto the stage, with Warren Watson on piano. She sings a total of seven songs, ranging from simple folk tunes to a finale of a rousing rendition of a rather torrid love song that Ruby often sings herself but would have thought too bawdy for the more prim Caress’s tastes. She tells the audience that she will be back once more later that evening then heads out the door. Al brings another round of drinks over to the table, his arm accidentally brushing up against Madge as he passes them out, to which he apologizes to her. Al tells Ruby, "She's off to sing at your place for the next two hours. On your nights off at the Lucky Lady we've had to have Warren fill in with just piano tunes. I'm hoping that tonight doesn't scare Sandra off, I'd like to also have some vocals for a change." He glances to Madge as he says that. She replies, "Don't give me that look Alfred Brower. You know perfectly well that Lumley will fire me if I ever sing a note in another saloon." Al replies, "You would always have a job here Miss Duprey." She replies, "And what would Clairesse do? Stealing her job would hardly be a nice thing for me to do as her surrogate mother. Plus your stage is way too small for what I require." Al laughs and heads back to the bar. Ruby raises an eyebrow at the little exchange. "Quite the flirt I would say, Miss. Duprey," Ruby says in mocking tones. "Perhaps you should rethink working at the Gay Lady. I'd bet he make a larger stage for you." Ruby smiles mischievously at Madge and raises her glass. "To girl's night out. So far all we've done is talk about our men!" Josie says, "Well, you could tell me a little more about that Clairesse, her voice is wonderful. And what did you mean Madge by surrogate mother?" Madge explains, "She's the first cousin of my back-up singer Julia. Their mothers were sisters who danced in New Orleans. But Caress’s mother died when she was a baby and her prim and prudish father raised the girl in the Midwest. When he died she came out here, as Julia was her only living relative. The Gay Lady was an eye-opening experience for her and I realized that I had to step in and take the girl under my wing. Our nightly shows were too much for her, and while she has a fine singing voice she can't dance worth a damn. Burton and I put her to work waiting tables, but she was way too clumsy for that as well, the broken glassware alone cost her a third of her wages. Then the Lucky Lady's previous owner ran off with the Comique's Saloon girl simultaneous to Ruby heading off for a trip to Tombstone, creating a pair of vacancies for singers. Clairesse stepped in. After Ruby returned she limited her singing there to Ruby's nights off, this being her main stage to sing on. I was still concerned about the girl so started coming here on my nights off, Mondays and Thursday, to listen to her and later offer suggestions. I...um....well, that's how I got to know Mr. Brower better. You may have noticed Ruby that he no longer plays poker at your Saloon with Job or Jake on those two nights." Ruby laughs, "Well, my mind has been elsewhere lately, so I hadn't noticed. But now that you mention it... I supposed I should be mad at you for stealing business from us! But instead I'm happy that such a good friend is so happy." She playfully clears her throat, "So, any plans to perhaps make things more permanent in the future? Maybe Madge gets her name on a Saloon too?" Madge laughs and says "Who says my name isn't. You're this town's lucky lady and I'm it's gay lady. And I am now that I've met Al." Josie glances over to the bar at the young, tall businessman with slightly oversized ears and comments, "Madge, I'd accuse you of robbing the cradle, but Wyatt is twelve years my senior." Madge replies, "Robbing the cradle! My word! I'll have you know that I am only six years older than Alfred." Josie turns to Ruby and asks, "And what is your age difference from Mr. Cooke?" Ruby says, "Well, Jake's birthday just passed that makes the difference three years. But my birthday is in a couple of weeks so it'll be back to two years between us. He isn't as old as he looks. Sometimes when he's serious, especially when he's playing poker, he does look older than he is." Ruby giggles, "While there are certain benefits to the older man, I need someone closer to my age so he can keep up with me and all my naughty habits!" Madge laughs "As if there is anybody on this planet who could keep up with you Ruby!" Sandra Wainwright had arrived and took a seat at the rear table when Clairesse finished up. Sandra is dressed in a Sunday-go-to-church formal dress rather than the more practical dresses or even the occasional pants that she wears when working the store. Warren Watson finishes playing and goes over to the table with Sandra and chats with her. She then gets up and sits at the piano and begins to play. Once she is distracted by the keyboards her husband Donald quietly sneaks into the Saloon and takes a place at a table near the rear, a wide grin on his face. Sandra plays a long piano introduction, essentially an entire verse, of an Arthur Sullivan ballad before launching into song. Her voice is a very melodic alto with wide range of octaves. When she reaches the conclusion of the piece Watson stands and motions for those in the audience to not applaud. He then sits on the piano bench beside her and they begin a two-player piece that she sings to as well. At the end of this he puts his arm around her shoulder and they stand together and face the audience to a full round of applause. Sandra's face turns beet red with embarrassment. Ruby turns to her companions and laughs. "Well, I might have been worried about the competition if not for the horrific stage fright. Could you imagine? Kate will be mad she missed this though." Ruby pours each of them another drink. "I wonder if she'll get brave and start singing on a more regular basis." Thoughts swirl in Ruby's head about snagging Clairesse exclusively for the Lucky Lady as they had originally wanted. Sandra Wainwright joins her husband Donald at a table, chiding him for sneaking in to watch her. He laughs and orders them both drinks, as Watson sits back down at the piano to play for the Saloon. Gambler Rolf Larsen has started a game of Poker at one of the larger tables and Larry Freed has started a game of Faro at his table. Other patrons begin to wander in as well, most taking seats on stools at the bar. The women continue to chat about life in general. And while they chat they drink. Finally Ruby asks, "So Josie, tell us about Wy... Your boyfriend. What's so special about him? I've had dealings with him and he seems protective of his family, and honorable if you're on the right side. But also some not so good dealings too, to get things that he wanted. So tell us why you love him. Do you want to marry him??" Josie replies, "I...I can't explain it. But marriage is out of the question, he's already married." "Oh yeah, I do think I remember him saying something about a wife. Sorry Josie." Ruby takes a quick drink. "Let's talk about something else then, shall we?" Josie talks about how much she is the theater company’s upcoming engagement in New Mexico and Colorado. First they will travel to the communities of Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Having stayed in Arizona the previous two years she missed that leg of the journey as well as the Colorado cities. She adds "Pauline and the rest of the company all say that summering in the higher elevations of Colorado is far cooler and more comfortable than it is here in southern Arizona." Ruby says, "Yes, I do believe it gets very hot here, although I haven't been through a summer yet here in Promise City. But there is nothing like a cool breeze after a hot summer day." "Now that we've finished dinner are we ready to play cards yet? Or even some dancing? What do you ladies think?"" Madge exclaims "I could use a good poker game right about now, what about you Josie?" Josie replies, "I've played it before but I'm not that good at it, you'll have to help me out." Ruby says, "Poker it is! I've never played at the Long Branch. Perhaps we should go size up Conrad Booth." Madge gives Ruby a quizzical look and says, "Well, with that comment you have indeed proved that you've never been there before. In all of the other gambling establishments in town each gambler has his own regular players, that's not so at the Long Branch. Kate Higgin's philosophy is that if you go to play at the Long Branch it is the place that you've chosen not the gambler. She doesn't let you pick your dealer she assigns you one. And it's not uncommon for her to have her dealers swap tables mid-way through the night. Then again, Monday nights are slow so they probably only have one poker dealer." "Really? How interesting. I was under the impression that someone gambled there every Wednesday night with the same dealer. Strange way of doing things." Ruby shrugs, "It doesn't matter, I don't care who the dealer is, tonight is just for fun." Madge answers, "Well, if she only has one Wednesday night Poker dealer that's possible. It's mostly weekends when all of their dealers would be present. Shall we go?" "Sure let's go." Josie and Ruby give Madge a moment to "pay the bill" while they wait outside on the porch laughing. Then they head over to the Long Branch. On the south side of Main Street between Allen and Front streets is the Long Branch Saloon, which was the very first saloon in town. This 30x30 foot three-story brick building is rather luxurious, with all-brass bar fixtures and a crystal chandelier. It has four gambling tables featuring both poker and faro and has a reputation for high-stakes games. As they enter there appear to be two dealers this evening, Conrad Booth dealing Poker and a gentleman who none of the girls recognize who is dealing Faro. Piano player Dooley Wilson is providing entertainment and Hildy Jackson is the only one of the Saloon's four prostitutes who is currently present, with her sitting at the bar with a drink. Owner Kate Higgins work reminds the women that they need to check any firearms that they may be carrying, to which Madge and Josie both tell her they have none. Ruby also replies she has no firearm on her and enters the saloon. "Well, it looks like Conrad is dealing after all," she grins. "So we WILL be able to check out his poker skills." Ruby approaches the poker table. "Evening Mr. Booth." She waits for him to glance up at her. "I'm here with some friends tonight, we'd like to have a friendly game of cards. Can you let us know when you have three seats available please?" He smiles and says, "Few more hands and I'll be taking a break ladies, not sure how many of these nice gents will be returning." The reactions on the faces of his players to that comment indicate that unless there is a drastic change at least two of them won't be due to a lack of finances. Ruby smiles dazzlingly at all around the table. "Well then, we'll be anxiously awaiting our turn over at the bar." With that she turns on her heel and swings her hips over to the bar, where she takes a seat next to her friends and orders a whiskey. "We're up soon. Sometimes it's so nice to have breasts," she laughs. Conrad completes the game with his current players and calls for a break, during which he invites Madge, Josie and Ruby to join him at the table. Two of the previous players return, one of whom Ruby recognizes as Abel Weir, a miner at the Liberty Hill Mine who occasionally plays with Job Kane at the Lucky Lady. The other man introduces himself as Joseph Hale, but says to just call him Idaho Joe. Josie Marcus explains how she isn’t much of a poker player and Conrad spends a few minutes explaining the rules of the game to her. The game will be standard rules, nothing fancy, and all bets must be made in whole dollar increments with a minimum of $ 1 to be put in the pot per hand. The game progresses for the next forty-five minutes, playing nine hands. By that point Ruby has won two hands and is ahead $ 29; Madge has won one hand and is ahead by a mere $ 2; Weir has won four hands but most had been small bets so he is only ahead by $ 19; Conrad has won two hands but one was rather large and he is ahead by $ 38; Josie hasn’t won any but also hasn’t bet more than the minimum per hand so is only down $ 9; the remaining $ 79 loss all came from Idaho Joe. With the gambling loss added to the price of his drinks Idaho Joe declares that he is now broke. He says, “Guess I should be should be heading back to my sweet little Petunia anyway. Goodnight all.” As he exits the Long Branch Conrad decides to call for a short break, taking a small sip from the glass of whiskey on the table before him. Weir excuses himself and heads outside to the outhouse. Madge says she has a quick errand to run as well but will soon return. Kate Higgins stops by the table and asks if anybody else still at the table would like a drink refill. Josie comments, “I said I wasn’t much of a poker player. I guess I should probably quit while I’m behind.” Conrad says, “Well Miss. Marcus, if I wasn’t the dealer I would offer to help you. But to entice you to stay in the game I am willing to grant you $ 25 in table credit.” She bats her eyes in his direction and says with a smile, “Thank you Mr. Booth, you are very generous. But seeing as how you’ve already rescued me once before I wouldn’t want it to become a habit.” He smiles back and says, “Ah, I was wondering if you still remembered that little incident. Fear not fair maiden, my days of rescuing damsels in distress are now obligated exclusively to Ruby’s friend Katherine Kale. Extending to you table credit, which I plan to soon win right back, doesn’t fall into the same category.” Ruby orders a refill from Kate Higgins. Then she raises an eyebrow, "So, you two know each other? I bet this is an interesting story..." She looks at the two of them expectantly. Booth says, "I'll try to keep it short. I am originally from San Francisco. When I was born my mother was a seamstress at Maguire's Opera House, the most impressive theater in town. It closed down nine years back and we moved on to the California Theatre on Bush Street, which became the new hub of theatrical activity in the city, with that theatre as well as the Alhambra and the Standard. My mother was promoted to head seamstress and assistant set manager for the 'Old California Stock Company'. I began acting with that company, mostly secondary roles and bit parts, but I enjoyed it." Josie says, "And Pauline Markham's company performs at the Standard in the autumn and winter before we go on the road. One night during my first year with the company a drunk outside the stage door cornered me. Mr. Booth happened to be walking by at that time and came to my rescue. He drew a gun on the man and forced him to leave." Conrad says, "Actually, that was one of my better performances. I had first yelled for the man to leave and he just ignored me. I then threatened to call for the police and he just laughed. My 'gun' was actually a black tobacco pipe, which I had used as a prop in that night's performance. I cupped it upside down in my hand and made sure that my hand obscured most of it. I then extended my arm as thought I was holding a gun and told him it was a Derringer. He believed me and left." Josie says to Ruby, "I thanked my rescuer and we then went our separate ways. I actually didn't even know his name until last month at the festival." She turns to Conrad and says, "I meant to talk to you at the festival but never got the chance." Conrad says, "Well, I was a bit preoccupied that night playing the White Knight yet again." "What a funny coincidence, the two of you ending up here together after all these years." "And funny, Conrad, you've turned into such a hero. Every girl needs her own hero you know," Ruby smiles. Conrad replies, "Oh, I'm no hero, just a man who can't stand by and watch a beautiful woman be accosted. I did learn one valuable lesson on that day though, never go anywhere unarmed. From then on I've made sure that I've always kept a real Derringer and throwing knife where I could get at them." Ruby nods. "Yes, I'm afraid we all have our stories about how we learned to be prepared."</blockquote>

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