Rimfire Bride (11 page)

“All right, but I’m going to tell Tom that you aren’t feeling well, so he can check in on you.”

“Please don’t tell him. If he thinks I’m sick, he may not want me to be cooking.”

“I understand.” Jana stood at the door looking back at her sister, who looked so pale against the white sheet of their bed. “I don’t know when I’ll be back. Mr. Watson said they really don’t know anything until about ten o’clock.”

“I’m fine. Really. And, Jana, you look beautiful.”

W
hen
Jana arrived at the courthouse at a little before ten o’clock, a small number of people had already assembled. She searched the crowd looking for Mr. Watson and found him standing on the courthouse steps.

“There you are. I was beginning to think you might have changed your mind.”

“Oh, no, I just know we’re going to sell a lot of clothes tonight. How can we not, when they see this beautiful dress?”

“Well, let’s just see how good of an advertisement it is. There aren’t many people right now, but when the band gets here, the excitement will step up.”

“There’ll be a band?”

“Oh, yes, indeed, the band that plays at Whitney’s Opera House will be here soon. So when it does, you just start circulating and passing out those cards.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, I saw
you in the window today,” a young woman who introduced herself as Mary Clark said, when Jana approached her. “And I thought what a clever way to advertise new dresses. I talked Mr. Clark into going into the store with me.” Mary laughed. “He said if the dress would look as good on me as it did on you, he would buy it.”

“Well, I’m sure it would. Did he buy it for you?”

The woman tittered demurely as she looked down. “Yes, he did.”

“That’s wonderful, and here is a way to save Mr. Clark some money. If you bring this card in by Saturday, Mr. Watson is giving a sale price on anything you buy.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” Mary said enthusiastically.

Several of the other women who were standing nearby heard Jana’s comment, and they asked for cards as well. Many had seen her in the window, and Jana felt a bit like stage actresses must feel when they are greeted by people they don’t know. Although she would never have thought so, she was actually rather enjoying the attention, and the idea that she might even be selling more of Mr. Watson’s dresses.

“My friends!” a man shouted, climbing up to the top of the steps in front of the courthouse. He stretched his hands out toward the crowd. “My friends!”

“What are you doing up there, Colonel Lounsberry?” someone called out to him. “It’s a little late
for speechifying, ain’t it? The polls has all done closed.”

The others in the crowd laughed, but someone shouted, “Let the colonel speak!”

Jana recognized the latter as Frank Allen, Drew Malone’s law partner.

“My friends,” Lounsberry began, “not all the results are yet in, but the early indications are that the people of Burleigh County aren’t going to allow claptrap politics any longer. Two or three men didn’t buy the vote this time. Not McLean, not Stoyell, not Griffin, not Richards—nobody but the people, irrespective of nationality or party, have the right to choose who shall serve them, and knowing their rights, they dare maintain them!”

Lounsberry literally shouted the last few words, and they were met by loud cheers and hurrahs from those gathered.

“I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Charles Healey and John Foley for the most excellent work they have done at the polls in the interest of the citizens’ cause. They were ever on the alert, working from early this morning until tonight in our cause. They deserve every consideration, and the time may well come when this appreciation will be shown.”

Again there were cheers.

“But the evening has just begun. There will be dancing in the streets tonight as the people of Bismarck take back their town—not with violence, but with the ballot box!”

“Good evening,” Drew Malone said as he stepped
up beside Jana, who was standing near the back of the gathering.

“Drew,” Jana replied with a big smile.

“I just got here. Has your friend Mr. Richards been defeated yet?”

Jana chuckled. “I checked his numbers, and so far, it looks bad for him.”

“Let’s hope the numbers hold up, not only against him, but against all the others who are just as corrupt as he is.”

Just then the returns for the Galloway Precinct were posted, and a loud cheer went up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let the music begin,” a man said as he climbed up beside the slate board and pointed toward a band that had just come up. Immediately, the musicians began playing a rousing polka, and the dancing started.

Offering his arm to Jana, Drew asked, “May I have this dance with you, madam?”

“Yes, sir, but you may be sorry.”

“And why do you say that?”

“Because I’m not that good of a dancer. In order to get the steps right for the polka, I have to say, ‘Hippety-hop, to the barbershop, to buy a stick of candy.’ ”

“ ‘One for you and one for me, and one for sister Mandy,’ ” Drew said, finishing the children’s rhyme.

Jana stopped and stared at Drew. “How did you know what comes next?”

“I just know.” Drew pulled Jana to him and once more started the fast-moving dance.

Drew felt guilty for not telling Jana about Sam and Benji. That would have been the perfect
moment to mention that he read such verses to his children every night, but he didn’t say a word. For the first time in two years he felt something for a woman, this woman. He liked that she had not tried to flirt with him, as did so many of the local women, who considered him to be one of the most eligible prospective husbands in town. Jana and he had spent practically the whole day together the day before, and she had impressed him not only by her intelligence, but by her persona. She was not flighty, as were so many of the young women he knew, but neither was she a boring stuffed shirt. She seemed to find just the right balance between the two extremes.

But he didn’t want to tell her about the boys. Not yet, because he’d had more than a few women trying to get to him by buying presents for the boys. He would wait until he knew Jana better.

A man appeared at the board and wrote in some more numbers, adjusting the vote totals, and once more the totals were met with cheers from a crowd that now numbered at least two hundred Burleigh County residents. This time there was much backslapping and hugging as it appeared that the Citizens’ Ticket was going to win.

In his exuberance, Drew grabbed Jana and pulled her to him in a big bear hug.

At first Jana was taken aback by Drew’s action, but she saw that nearly every woman around her was being hugged by someone, so certainly nobody was paying any attention to them.

Drew pulled away quickly. “Oh, excuse me. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Jana adjusted her hat and then smiled. “No harm done. Anyway, hugging seems to be the thing to do tonight.”

Drew looked around at the others around them, then brought his gaze back to Jana. “It just shows what a . . .” He stopped in midsentence. This woman was standing just inches away from him. Her eyes were shining bright as they reflected the twinkle of the many gaslights that had been strung for the occasion. But it was her lips—full, teasing lips—that looked so inviting. He lowered his head to hers. He knew he was going to kiss her, right here on Thayer Street, in front of the courthouse, in front of everybody.

“Drew. Drew, come over here for a moment. I want you to shake hands with our new justice of the peace,” Frank Allen called.

“Uh . . . I’d better . . .” Drew turned quickly and walked over to his partner.

Jana was left staring after Drew. What had just happened? If she didn’t know better, she would have thought Drew was about to kiss her. What did she mean, if she didn’t know better? What was her experience with kissing? Jackie Schuler out behind the barn the summer she turned eleven? That was it.

“Hello, Jana, how are you doing?” Mr. Watson asked as he stepped up beside Jana. “Are you getting rid of your cards?”

“Yes, sir. I only have a few left,” Jana said as she turned her attention away from Drew.

“I have to confess, this was a wonderful idea you had about tonight. Do you see that woman
over there?” Mr. Watson pointed toward an attractive woman who was dressed exquisitely. “She is one of my best customers. See to it that she gets a card. In fact, give her two or three cards.”

“She must be a special lady. What’s her name?”

“Elizabeth McClellan, and she is special.” Mr. Watson tipped his hat toward the woman and turned away.

Jana made her way through the crowd until she reached the woman. She was at least a head shorter than Jana, but up close she was even more attractive than she had been from afar. The lady seemed to be wearing makeup, but not the garish sort worn by theater people. “Elizabeth McClellan?” Jana asked, not knowing if she was a miss or Mrs.

“Yes, and you must be Jana Hartmann.”

“I am. But how did you know my name?”

“My dear, just as you knew my name. I make it my business to know the name of any beautiful young woman who appears in Bismarck. I hear you are decorating Walter’s window.”

Jana laughed. “I guess you could say that. I’m not used to standing in windows and having people look at me, but it’s actually sort of fun getting to wear all the beautiful clothes that Mr. Watson has for sale.”

“You did a good job. Several of my . . . associates were the recipients of some of the clothes that you sold today, and we thank you.”

“Oh, that reminds me. Mr. Watson asked me to give you several of these cards.” Jana handed her a half dozen. “If you bring these into the store by Saturday, you get a discount.”

The lady smiled as she put the cards in her reticule.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“If you’re someone other than Elizabeth McClellan, no, I don’t know.”

“I’m known by another name.” Elizabeth withdrew a calling card from her purse and handed it to Jana.

Jana looked at it, but it had no writing. It was a playing card, the two of spades. Jana looked quizzically at the woman.

“The deuce of spades is known as the ‘little casino,’ and that’s what some folks call me. If you get into any kind of trouble, you come find me and I’ll help you. My place of business is on the other side of the train tracks. You’ll know which one it is because you’ll see this card on my sign. Good night, Jana.”

“Good night, Elizabeth, and thank you.” Jana watched as the attractive, but rather mysterious, woman slipped into the crowd and disappeared.

After meeting with
Frank and Hugh McDonald, the new justice of the peace, Drew was anxious to find Jana. She wasn’t where he had left her, and he looked through the crowd until at last he saw her. But he didn’t like what he saw.

Jana Hartmann, a woman he had thought might be someone he could care for, was talking to Little Casino. Respectable women didn’t talk to the madam. He watched Jana pass something to Little Casino, and in turn Little Casino gave something to Jana. What was this? Surely Jana wasn’t trying
to go “on the line” at Little Casino’s house of prostitution . . .

Or was she?

After Elizabeth McClellan left, Jana looked around for Drew, finding him in a group of men who were laughing and talking. She was sure the men were discussing the results of the election, since many of the races were now decided. She continued to hand out her cards.

Jana stayed around the courthouse until nearly one in the morning, and by that time most of the women had left. She was hoping that she would have a chance to speak to Drew again, but in all that time he never returned to talk to her. On the few occasions when Jana located him in the crowd, she tried to make eye contact with him, but when she may have caught his eye, it seemed as if he purposely looked away. It was almost as if Drew was avoiding her.

But why? What had she done?

Jana had never had any kind of relationship, not even a real friendship with a man, so she had no idea what she might have done to put him off. She could have sworn that Drew Malone was about to kiss her just before Frank called him away. But now he wouldn’t come near her; he wouldn’t even look at her. She wished she had a better understanding of courtship.

Jana felt her cheeks flame.
Courtship?
Why would she call this a courtship? She was definitely making assumptions unwarranted by the facts. Anyway, it was time she returned to the hotel. Tomorrow was a workday and she didn’t want
to make the mistake of arriving late, as she had today.

As she walked down the dimly lit street to the Custer Hotel, she experienced an eerie feeling. She didn’t pass a single person, yet, just a couple of blocks behind her, she could hear the raucous celebration continuing. The band was playing, fireworks were exploding, and the din of the crowd was growing louder and louder. She was glad when she reached the hotel.

When she stepped into the lobby, she was surprised to see that two old gentlemen were playing cards.

“Good evening,” she said. “Or, perhaps I should say, good morning.”

“It’s about time you got home, missy,” one of them said in a gruff voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you waiting for me?”

“You bet. It’s our job to close up and turn off the lights, ’cause you’re not stayin’ at just any hotel. We watch out for one another, and you’re one of us now. We gotta take care of you and that little sister of yours.”

Jana smiled. “That’s good to know. If I’m ever late again, I’ll be sure to let someone know. Good night.”

When Jana entered the room, she went to the side of the bed to check on Greta, who was now sleeping peacefully, her breathing normal. In the dim light of the kerosene lamp that was still burning, Greta resembled the wedding picture of Marta Kaiser.

What would her mother think if she knew her
baby daughter was cooking in a saloon, and that her other daughter was standing in a window like an exhibit at the fair?

“Mama, I promise you, I’ll make us a better life,” Jana whispered. “I’ll not let anything happen to your baby.” She knelt to kiss her sister on the forehead.