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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2814876" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Four, “The Silver Dollar Restaurant”, Wednesday, May 24th, 1882, 12:00 P.M. Nanuet heads to the church and finds her hard at work with some weaving. "I think I finished my morning chores, shall we go get lunch?" Nanuet offers. Minerva looks up, a distracted look on her face. "Huh? What? Lunch? Oh, my! Is it that late already? I have been at this since dawn. When I awoke this morning, the gods had planted this idea in my head for an altar cloth. It is a very intricate design." She stands and stretches the knots out of her shoulders and back. "I completely forgot about breakfast. It was so much easier when Bea had it waiting for me. Si, lunch is a fine idea." Minerva grabs her parasol and allows Nanuet escorts her to lunch. Nanuet says, "I figured we could try the Silver Dollar for lunch today. You know, just for a change of scenery. The altar cloth is beautiful, you really do wonderful work with your weaving." They arrive at the Silver Dollar Restaurant and look to have a nice peaceful lunch. The Silver Dollar Restaurant has been completely remodeled, with the former Silver Dollar Saloon's bar and barstools long gone. In its place two stoves and a pantry have been added to the far end of the single-story 20x30 foot structure. Eight tables fill the room, one large table able to seat up to eight, four tables of four, and three tables for two. A short balding man with eyeglasses is busy preparing food. Alice Smith is busy waiting on tables. Her husband Haywood Smith is standing at the door wearing a starched shirt, bow tie and fancy vest. He smiles and says, "Priestess, where would you like to sit." Minerva smiles sweetly in return and gives a little curtsy. "Buenas Dias, Senor Smith! It is a lovely day, is it not? A seat by the window would be pleasant. It smells heavenly in here!" she says breathing in the delicious aromas. "What is that wonderful smell? Senor Nanuet and I are absolutely famished!" Nanuet and Minerva are seated in a corner table, covered with a nice embroidered tablecloth with matching cloth napkins and fancy silverware. Mr. Smith replies, "What you are smelling is the specialty of our chef, Walter. His world famous beef stew served inside of a hot, freshly baked bread bowl." Nanuet says, "We'll take two please and some iced tea to drink if you have that of course." Alice brings them the food, each served on a nice piece of stoneware pottery. She lights the candle between them and then gets their iced tea, each with a slice of lemon in it. On the walls is a slate with the desserts listed, namely Apple Crumb Pie, Blueberry Cobbler and Raspberry Bread Pudding. Another sign on the wall lists the dozen beverages available, the only two alcoholic ones being Honey Mead and Apple-Pear Wine. Nanuet digs into the hearty meal. He turns to Alice between bites and says, "I love what you've done with the place, looks really nice! Seems like you've got a good selection too.” She replies, "Thank you Mr. Indian. The Saloon business just wasn't for us and I knew that Hay could give his cousin Eric a run for his money." He asks, “Any chance I can buy a bottle of that wine? It sounds intriguing." She states, "Oh yes, make me an offer, I'll sell you as much as you'd like. We still have two cases of that stuff. Hay was able to sell the whiskey, beer and other liquor back to Mr. Hoover but he didn't want the wine or mead." He says, "How about $2 a bottle. I'll take two if you're agreeable." Alice replies, Absolutely, I'll have them ready for you by the end of the meal." Minerva chuckles. "If I indulge in a bottle of wine, I may be weaving instead of weaving. But I believe that I have worked on the altar cloth enough for one day." He says, "Well the wine was going to be for a future occasion, that is why I requested a whole bottle. I figured perhaps we could take it home and store it until an appropriate moment." Nanuet continues to devour the stew. "There is a meeting tonight, merchant committee and Vigilance committee together. I am pretty sure Jake and Ruby are going, I figure you will probably have to be there as well, I think I'll head over to the Lucky Lady and keep an eye on things there." Minerva says with a look of distaste. " I am sure that Senora King and her little army of followers will be there." she sighs. " I would much prefer to spend my time with you and this bottle of wine, but I suppose that I should do my duty and attend this meeting. "Perhaps we can share the wine afterwards?" she says hopefully. Nanuet replies, "Oh certainly, I am most agreeable to that. I just figured that all the decision makers at the Lucky Lady would be involved in that meeting one way or another so I figured I would make sure to be there early tonight to help them out. I hope the meeting is a productive one. Mrs. King will surely be there, and I am sure she has a lot to contribute. Remember to be patient, keep that temper of yours in check." "That is easier said than done, Mi Amor. Perhaps it would be better if you went to the meeting and I stayed at the Lucky Lady," she jokes. Nanuet chuckles heartily at Minerva's lighthearted jest. "Perhaps, but unfortunately I am not the priestess, just her companion. You'll do fine I'm sure." Nanuet and Minerva finish their lunch, Nanuet pays for the meal and the two bottles of wine. He then heads back to Minerva's house to store the wine and do a few chores. Ruby slept until mid-afternoon at which point Jake was long gone from the house. She heads over to the Lucky Lady in search of him. He isn't there either, although another man is that has been patiently waiting for Ruby West to arrive. Mr. Kevin Tomlinson, assistant to Judge Isby, is seated there holding a white rose. He hands it to Ruby and says, "Miss West, Judge Nathan Isby requests the company of your presence this evening for dinner." She states, "Hello Mr. Tomlinson," she says, taking the rose with a smile and smelling it, "You may tell the Judge I would be pleased to meet him for dinner. The Promise City Hotel?" He replies, "Yes Ma'am, at 6:30 P.M." "After the meeting," she says out loud to herself. "Alright, I will be there. Tel him I am looking forward to it. And good luck to you both at the meeting today." Tomlinson departs. Not long afterwards Sandra Wainwright arrives carrying a stack of new sheet music that she just received which she offers to show to Ruby and play any of them that Ruby would like to hear on the piano. Ruby gladly looks through the sheet music. She asks Sandra to play six or seven songs she doesn't recognize, of all different types. As Sandra plays Ruby sits next to her on the bench, looking over the sheets. "You probably have the most experience with people in this town who like to sing or play instruments. Do you know of anyone who isn't currently working somewhere who might like to sing or play in public every once in a while? I think with our renovation we might need to add some more entertainment." Sandra says, "You're only saying that because you were at the Comique two nights ago when I played there. I could never do that here, with the extra part you're adding on it would be way too big, too many people. And who would want to hear me?" A female voice that Ruby immediately recognizes as her friend Josephine Marcus speaks up behind both women and says, "I would for one, you sing wonderfully Mrs. Wainwright. I was glad that I was there to hear it." "Actually, I wasn't. I absolutely agree with my friend Josie, your singing is beautiful and you should be proud to show off your voice. And I would be thrilled if you wanted to sing here. But I do need someone who wants to do the job, who can be reliable in getting up on stage." Ruby smiles gently at her, "You know, some nights there are smaller crowds and singing in front of people does take some getting used to... Josie says, "Mrs. Wainwright, perhaps you could help Ruby and myself. We are planning to put on a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in a few weeks. Well, a small orchestra would really enhance the production, to play appropriate pieces of music at the more dramatic moments, plus pieces at the beginning and end. I saw that your store sells musical instruments, perhaps you could help find us a few musician to play, with you on the piano of course, unless you'd rather play another instrument of course." Ruby's eyes widen slightly as does her almost ever-present smile, "Hey, that's a GREAT idea! Sandra, I am very excited about the show and you would make an excellent addition." Sandra asks, "What type of instruments would you want for the orchestra? How many musicians?" Josie asks, "What do you think Ruby?" Ruby momentarily gets a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. She recovers and says, "Well, shouldn't we leave that up to the head of this little orchestra? I think if Sandra is going to help us she should have the special title and be able to choose who she thinks would be most needed." They hear footsteps on the porch of the Lucky Lady. Standing in the doorway, his flat brimmed black hat slightly askew, black leather duster open and familiar Colt strapped low on his right leg is the gambler Jake Cook. From the stubble on his cheeks it looks like he has not shaved, but otherwise he seems bright eyed and alert. His gaze takes in the ladies before sweeping the room and coming back to them. He is smiling. "Finally decided to get up today darling?" Ruby calls out across the room. She motions for him to come closer. "We're talking about the play." She turns back to Sandra and smiles dazzlingly. "So what do you think, about the orchestra that is?" Mrs. Wainwright says, "I think it is a wonderful idea. I don't think you'd need me on piano though, you have no shortage of piano players in this town. I should play my cello instead." Josie says, "Well, as you are now the Musical Director of our play that is your decision." Sandra blushes. "You'll be wonderful, do not worry." Ruby laughs, "We can always put your back to the audience if you prefer. Besides, I plan to stun everyone with my performance so they'll only be looking at me anyway," she laughs again. Jake tips his hat, "Ladies," before he sits down. Niles Hoover stops by the table and says, "Jake, we've got a meeting of the Merchant's Association tonight at 5:30. I also need to talk to you about Jeff when you get a chance." Ruby says, "Oh, I still need to talk to Jake about some business stuff too. Josie, can you and Sandra excuse me for a moment?" He replies, “Niles, I will find you in a few minutes." He stands and follows Ruby, "Business?" She replies, “Yes actually business. Probably what Niles wants to talk to you about." Ruby explains the offer from Austin Blake to Jake. She says, "I'm not exactly sure about giving up Jeff, even though Niles says he has someone who can take over for him. And we'd need to ask Jeff if he wants to do it. But of course, I'd leave it to your brilliant business mind to find a way to have this be to our advantage. After all, he would be getting the Lucky Lady and Ruby West. Doesn't quite compare to a place to leave your horses." Jake replies, "Heh, no that does not seem to be a fair trade. Fine, I will talk with Niles and see what he is thinking. We do have a bigger saloon to fill now, though I am not sure helping the competition is the way to do it. I will be back in a few minutes." He goes to speak with Niles. "Wait!" Ruby calls out after him. She shakes her head and sighs as Jake walks away. Niles and Jake talk for a few minutes. Niles says, "I honestly didn't get the impression that a partnership is really what he's after, although I'm sure a discount on the liquor he buys from me would enter into the conversation at some point. I think he really just wants to borrow Jeff to build his place for him." "Does he have anything we want?" Jake asks Niles. "Not like he is going to turn down our customers who might want to board there horses there. Do we need to partner with a corral? Lumley is part owner of the Bar-H is he not? That does not seem to give him much advantage, does it?" Niles replies, "Not a lot of advantage that I can see at all. I know that you and Ruby still board your horses at the El Parador, so a partnership with Blake could give you another place to put them. But honestly, you might be better of with them at the Bar-H instead since it's right across the street from your new house. Near as I can see the only real advantage might be to get the folks in town to better know and accept Jeff. His past seems to have haunted him, but now that he's been voted in as Fire Marshall that alone should get people to warm to him, no pun intended." "You are a funny guy, Niles," Jake says slapping him on the shoulder. "I will talk to Blake and see if he has anything else interesting to say, but I am not inclined to partner at this time. Is there anything else you needed me for?" He replies, "Nope, I'll talk to Job about it tonight. I will see you at the meeting." Ruby turns to the actress and says, "So Josie, what else do we need to do for the play right now? I've just been told that the addition will be done, so we'll have the beautiful huge stage to use." She replies, "Well, right now we have to cast all of the parts and get our actors busy reading their lines. We should do that in the next few days, and start rehearsals next week." Ruby states, "So we already have our Romeo and Juliet and our Mercutio. Should we maybe have auditions or something for the rest? Or try to approach people on our own? I wanted to speak to Mary Kelly about making the costumes." Josie says, "Auditions would help to promote the play, but as small as this town is and with only one newspaper that shouldn't be hard to do anyway. You know the people in town better than I do. You may want to give some small parts to some of your critics to make them allies instead." Ruby answers, "That IS a good idea. I just have to think of who..." Ruby starts tapping her lip. "I'm not sure who can do it, I'll have to think on it. I don't want to make the wrong choice and ruin the play." Josie answers, "That's why I suggested minor parts. Don't worry about ruining the play, we've got all of the major things covered provided we can find enough swordsmen." Ruby starts getting slightly flustered. "Yes, swordsmen and small parts, I understand. Let me think about it. I will try to come up with parts by tomorrow. I should be able to find enough swordsmen, how many do we really need anyway?" Josie says, "Well we already have Conrad and Estaban, they're the two main ones. Mr. Booth suggested we get a few more as well. I'm thinking we could go as high as six or eight total given the size of your stage." Ruby says, "I bet Kevin will do it too. I will ask someone who was in the competition, or even Judge Lacey, he was interested and he helped organize. He can get me a list I'm sure. Thanks Josie for the good ideas." Jake returns to the ladies, "I take it you lovely and talented ladies have this play well in hand? I expect that this town will be remembering this little extravaganza for years to come with fond memories." Ruby wraps her arm around Jake's waist. "There is a lot to do." Jake can tell Ruby is trying to keep her feelings of being overwhelmed under control. "Up, lots to do. Oh I still need to talk to you about something. But that I need to do alone when I am done with Josie. I will work on the parts and try to get some stuff done tomorrow. Anything else for today?" Josie replies, "Thank you for letting me direct. We'll, I'll see you later, and Julia and I are going to go do some shopping. We may stop by here tonight if you'll be singing." "Yes, I'll be singing, so hopefully we will see you later. Have fun shopping!" Ruby kisses her cheek and watches her friend leave. She smiles fades just a bit. "So, what did Niles say?" she asks Jake. He says, "Pretty much what you told me. The only thing he can see might be a benefit for Jeff, and even then not much. I will talk to Blake and see what else he offers, but I am not excited by the idea. I just have to not make him angry. What else did you want to talk about?" "Well, I wanted to go with you to the meeting tonight. I think the sparks will fly and I don't want to miss it. Then after that..." she pauses for a moment, "I, ah, have a date for dinner." Jake raises one eyebrow. A flush comes to Ruby's cheeks. "Look, I have been really trying to be better these past bunch of weeks, I am trying because I love you and don't want people getting the wrong ideas. Here in the saloon I have been much better about, you know, the way I act sometime, when mostly I don't even know I am doing it because I don't do it on purpose. And in this case everyone already think I am sleeping with him and it's just not a good idea to piss him off. But if you want me to say no I will, I will find him and tell him no. That is more important to me. Even after I said yes I wasn't sure I should have. I don't want you getting the wrong idea. Or him, getting the wrong idea that is." Finally she stops her tirade of words and looks up at Jake with big green eyes, hoping not to find him angry. Jake looks sternly at her before cracking a smile, "This will be a first, some other guy buys dinner and I get to sleep with the girl." Jake then laughs and says, "Enjoy your dinner, I trust you. Just do not enjoy it too much, OK?" He looks at his pocket watch, "It is getting close to meeting time, and we can talk on the way over if you like."</blockquote>

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