The Old Ranger

Other Characters by this Player

Recent Posts

1. 

   Let's Dance !

   Friday at 09:19 PM

   Present:  W & W, up in the loft
    
   "She said something, but didn't talk about it a lot,"  Weedy shrugged. 
    
   "Tarnation! I'd have been braggin' about it to everybody  I saw," Wyatt admitted.
    
    
   "She sure don't take any guff off anyone!"  added Weedy.
    
   "Like me, when I get older," Wyatt decided, full of boyish optimism.
    
   "I like Jay, too, he's real nice, and smart, he got to be on a ship to sail here." 
    
   "Really, wow! He never said anything about that when he stayed with us. I could have asked him so many questions," Wyatt said.
    
   "Say 'yes' to what?" he didn't quite get what Weedy meant in his next statement.
    
   "To me coming home with you."  Weedy glanced at Wyatt.  "We don't have school tomorrow, so it would be good...or..." he had a sudden thought, "We can stay the night in Addy's barn and she can take us to your house tomorrow?" 
    
   "Oh right!," now Wyatt got it then heard the rest of it before smiling, "Hey, that might be fun. Clara would never let me sleep in the barn at home. But yeah, if Pa is in a good mood, he might say I can stay in town for tonight. You ask Addy and I can ask Pa."
    
   What with the cookies and all, so far this dance nonsense was turning out to be quite fun!
   
    
    
   
2. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 16

   W & W
    
   "A water trough? That ain't swimmin'," Wyatt was bemused by the mental picture of Weedy even trying, Wyatt had a tendency to take things quite literally as Clara was always warning him about.
    
   Weedy definitely agreed not to tell any of their plans to adults, too big a risk they'd spoil all the fun plans.
    
   "I won't tell.  Maybe we can ask tonight and I can go home with you?"
    
   "Well, I reckon but we sure can't go swimming. It's too cold out, we'd freeze in that lake now. I meant like when it got to be summer, nice and hot, you know," Wyatt pointed out.
    
   He peered over the railing at Addy.  "She seems kinda sweet on Jay, don't she...doesn't she?  Maybe she'll be happy, so she'll say yes?"
    
   Wyatt looked too, "He stayed with us for awhile when Whitefish got wrecked. He seems nice. I don't really know Addy much but Pa sez she is a hard worker. You probably know this but.... when they all went hunting that big bear, she was the only woman along and she was the one who ended up baggin' him. Clara was so happy to hear that you woulda thought she got it. "
    
   "Say 'yes' to what?" he suddenly asked, clueless.
    
   
   
3. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 12

   The musicians now prepared to play once more after a hasty discussion of what should come next. The waltz had been a fine starter, prim, proper, and best of all easy. Now the idea was to play something livelier though and let the folks get their blood rushing with faster movement.
    
   "Alright, attention folks!  Let's do a galop quadrille. Look out for other couples too. We don't want no one to get hurt!" 
    
   And with that the musicians waited a minute or two for the prospective dancers to get out there and position themselves.
   
4. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 11

   Present:  Weedy, Wyatt up in the loft
    
   Wyatt invited the other boy to come see the farm and for a real fun time, they could even go swimming in the lake.
    
   "That'd be great!"  was Weedy's instant reaction plus, "Swimming!  That'd be fun!"
    
   Dang right! Wyatt figured the other boy would be willing. However apparently there was one little matter.
    
   "You'll have to teach me, I never been swimming, but I know I can learn.  And we can climb trees and stuff.  And no girls!"
    
   Wyatt blinked, "Really, you don't know how? Oh well, it's easy enough. I can show ya how.  Don't worry I won't let ya drown. "
    
   "Just one thing though - when you come, if my Pa or my sister ask if you know how to swim, tell 'em you do. Otherwise they might be all worried and not let us do it. Adults are like that, they worry way too much."
    
   
    
   @Bongo
   
5. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 9

   Present:  Weedy and Wyatt  (up in the loft)
    
   "Yeah, I don't want to leave Miz Addy alone, but I guess there's time to decide, since she's making me finish school." 
    
   Wyatt rolled his eyes, "All adults want us kids to finish school. If I'm  gonna be a farmer why do I have to know how to divide or learn about some stupid poem? I don't get it."
    
      "I've never been on a farm, but it seems like a lot of hard work."
    
   "Oh yeah, it can be at times. Especially planting times and harvesting. Plus you gotta take care of the animals every single day no matter what. Sundays, Christmas, animals don't care, they gotta be fed and watered and such," Wyatt assured the other boy.
    
   "What would you do if your pa didn't need help?"
    
   "I don't rightly know, hadn't considered it. Maybe be a captain of one of those big sailing ships and go all over the world?" Wyatt pondered then thought of something.
    
   "Hey! It's gonna be summer soon and nice n' hot. You should come to my place and I can show you the farm and such. Then we could go swimmin!" he beamed.
    
   "We are right next to a nice little lake. I love to swim. Pa sez it's a wonder I don't have gills. But usually it's just me  n' Clara swimmin'.  I like my sister n' all, but it'd be more to swim with a friend."
    
   
   
6. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 7

   Bannister, Santee & McKenny
    
   "A body kin learn a lot loungin' under the windas of the parlor." Came the reply. A man needs to know what's up 'specially with Case an' them snakes around."
   
   “Reckon them snakes’d be Latham an’ Ashworth?” Santee asked.
   
   “That’s them. Case, he’s there toutin’ how he’s gonna run fer County Sheriff, which is jest like the fox in the hen house. Make it tough on the Marshal to do anything.” Dex McKenny replied.
   
   “Hell! He won’t be able to arrest any of the Evergreen riders what cause any trouble. Yeah, gonna be a tough one. I ain’t heard of anyone else runnin’.” Bannister added. “You know you can never ride back there if you throw in with us. We’re marked men, but we’ll make a fight of it.”
   
   “I pulled my freight. Rode out in broad daylight at a walk. Ta hell with the evergreen!” Dex stated.
   
   “Jest so’s you know, won’t be pleasant around here for us whenever they get their plan together. Should Case actually run, and the win, Katie bar the door! I ain’t lookin’ forward to facin’ him down. He’s hell on wheels at slingin’ lead!” Santee warned.
    
   Without looking up from the cigarette he was rolling Bannister said flatly. “Corpse an’ cartridge occasion* fer shore. Alla them out on the Evergreen range’s either a gunman or a hired killer, an’ Elias’ brood are just plain killers ‘cept maybe Clay, don’t think he’s got the stomach for it.”
    
   They stood, silent considering what they believed was coming, and probably making their own plans, yet each was committed.
   
   TBC
   
7. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 5

   Bannister, Santee & McKenny
    
   Lounging by the corral fence were Santee and Bannister, on guard for the unthinkable, an attack on Leah in a public affair. Not that they thought that would actually happen, but they knew Elias Steelgrave and all of his riders, as well as what they were capable of.
    
   Of course it was board daylight still, tough not much was left of it, when a rider walked his horse toward the pair, one hand holding the reins and the other up, away from his gun. It was Dex McKenny, A man that both Santee and Bannister were leery of.
    
   "I bring word." McKenny stated bluntly.
    
   "Step down, Dex." Bannister offered, and McKeeny took him up on it.
    
   "Couple things, Case is gonna run for County Sheriff, and daddy and his cronies are all about takin' Kalispell." He shook his head, "Seems they're out for Leah and her project. Now you know Latham and Ashworth, well they're in it neck deep and talkin' about joinin' forces with the Town Council agin' her."
    
   Bannister and Santee knew McKenny well, they knew whatever he might be, a liar wasn't one of them.
    
   "Like to throw in with you two, Miss Steelgrave's always been kind to me, even though she ain't real partial to any of us on the evergreen."
    
   "And you know this information, how?" Bannister asked.
    
   "A body kin learn a lot loungin' under the windas of the parlor." Came the reply. A man needs to know what's up 'specially with Case an' them snakes around."
   
   TBC
   
8. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 4

   Present: Weedy, Wyatt   (up in the loft)
    
   Dangling his feet as he sat on the edge of the loft, Wyatt looked down upon the milling dancers, just people watching. His sister wasn't one of them. Oh well.
    
   Weedy was right next to him, chewing on a cookie,  "I'm never going to dance with a girl!  Never going to get married, either.  I'm going to drive stages like Miz Addy, maybe in California, so I can find gold and be rich!"
    
   "Are they finding gold in California? " Wyatt shrugged, he didn't know. His father had told him about the Gold Rush in 1848.  But that was ancient history to the boy.
    
   Grinning, he chomped on more cookie, Weedy then added, "Or be a lawman, like Marshal Guyer.  I don't know yet."
    
   "Lawman might be exciting. You could chase after outlaws and arrest somebody you didn't think was being fair," Wyatt observed.
    
   "I'm probably gonna have to stay on the farm. Pa needs the help you know," he shrugged.
    
   
   
9. 

   Let's Dance !

   November 1

   Present:  Weedy, Wyatt
    
   Both boys had loaded up on cookies, that's what pockets were for. As a matter of fact, Wyatt had already forgotten that only yesterday he had kept a frog in that one pocket where cookies were now stored. Pa had made him toss it back outside when he had brought it in the house to scare Clara with.  Pa was probably right though, Clara wouldn't have been scared anyhow just mad.
    
     "Do you want to go over by the band, or maybe up to the loft?"  Weedy asked.
    
   The music was starting up so Wyatt didn't want to get anywhere near close to the band, what if some girl or woman asked him to dance. Scary.
    
   "Nah, let's check out the loft. We can watch and laugh at people from above," he grinned then started to look around for a way up.
    
   
    
   @Bongo
   
10. 

    Let's Dance !

    November 1

    Present:   NPCs of the band
     
    Turned out Ryker's timing couldn't be better as just then Abel Roscrans stood up on the small stage and called out in a loud voice,  "Ladies and gents! Thank ya all for comin'. Hope everyone is havin' a great time. Now, for your pleasure, we will start playing some music so folks can dance!"
     
    The makeshift group of amateur musicians then began, starting up with a simple waltz.
     
    OOC: They will play continuously for a good half hour before taking a break, various dance numbers so you guys can just do what you will with the dancing for now.
    One of the writers mentioned it would be cool to try and do one of those dances where the dancers have to switch partners back and forth as they go. Maybe we can try that later?