Seven Women
Hello everyone. I'm back and I am sorry for taking so long to come up with a new idea, but my life is crazy right now. Actually, it's not even my life. But that's another story for another time.
This is an idea, which has no barings on any episode of Gunsmoke. That's right, this is all my own. However, the Characters do not belong to me though had they been my creations, I would have treated them a hell of a lot better than the writers of Gunsmoke. TPTB were cruel masters but life goes on.
I'm calling this one, Seven Women.
It began like every other day, the warm spring weather warmed her flushed cheeks. Kitty loved the warmth of the sun and Matt loved the way it made her gorgeous red hair shine like fire. His arm wrapped in hers as they walked down the sidewalk heading for DelMonicos for Breakfast with Doc and Festus. Matt and Kitty had breakfast with friends. Matt would then do rounds and check things out in town. Kitty would go back to the Saloon and run her business. Doc and Festus would eventually find their way first to the Jail and shoot the bull with Matt and then the three men would end up in the saloon visiting with everyone's favorite redhead. But today would not end up that way.
After breakfast, Mrs. Prye had run into Kitty and asked her to come to a meeting with the church ladies as they wanted to discuss the possible new orphanage that the Ladies Auxiliary wanted to set up. Kitty was part of that group as one of the founder members. There were six other women who were going to be there. Kitty had gone back to the saloon after breakfast to make sure that Sam had gotten the basket from Ma' Smalley's for the meeting and she then headed out of the saloon and down towards the Church where the women were meeting.
So as Kitty headed to the church, Doc and Festus headed into the saloon for a game of checkers.
"Look, we have to work together on this." Kitty said as she stood before the Ladies' Auxiliary.
"That's easy for you to say, you own a business and make money off of your saloon harlots." Bess Turner said.
"My girls are not harlots first of all Bess, and you need to shut up. I'm tired of your nasty attitude. My girls serve drinks, talk to the customers and even dance with them, but anything dirty you might think is going on, is only in your own filthy judgmental mind." Kitty said angrily.
The room was filled with arguments for or against either woman.
Miss. Prye slammed the book down twice to get their attention. "That's enough Bess. I'm tired of your snake tongue. And your twisted ideas. Kitty owns a saloon and nothing more. She's a smart woman and a damned good gambler too." She said smiling at Kitty. The room was filled with laughter at Miss. Prye's language. "I'm tired of your attacking Kitty, just because you have your eye set on the Marshal."
Bess gasped in embarrassment. "I do not, Miss Prye!"
"Ha!" Miss Prye stated. "You think that if Kitty were to leave town, that child of yours would perhaps have some kind of a chance with the good Marshal." Edsel Prye laughed spitefully.
"Miss Prye, please." Kitty pleaded with her.
"I'm sorry Kitty, but I'm tired of her antics. I cannot sit here and allow her to attack a friend of mine and spread her lies." Edsel Prye declared.
"Bess, I think you need to keep your opinions to yourself. Especially those concerning Kitty Russell's personal life." Linda Montgomery said. "Every meeting, it is the same thing and I for one am also tired of you attempts of marrying Jeanne off to the Marshal. The poor child is but 17 years old and she doesn't want to get married. She wants to learn, Bess, she wants to go to college and continue her learning." Linda said looking over at the shy girl who sat with her hands in her lap.
"College? Learning and further schooling is for men folk. What good would it do her." Bess said looking over at her daughter. "She needs to get married and have children and take care of her husband. She doesn't need to go any further in her education. Look what it's done to Kitty. She's an old maid." She said looking at Kitty.
"Excuse me?" Kitty said angrily. "Look, this is a meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary, we are suppose to be discussing the orphanage, not my marital status. Or my life for that matter. I think if you don't have anything to add to this meeting in regards to the orphanage, Bess, then perhaps you should leave." Kitty told her scornfully.
"I'm not leaving. I'm as involved in this orphanage as you are. I've been there from the beginning…" Bess said.
"You mean you been dead set against it from the beginning. Ever since Kitty first campaigned for it you were campaigning against it. Now that it's here and successful, you wanna try and get you grubby little hands in so's folks think you are the benevolent citizen you think you are." Miss Prye said.
"I don't have to sit here and listen to the town's oldest old maid and be berated infront of the Ladies Auxiliary." She said angrily standing up and facing Miss Prye.
"Enough!" Jeanne said as she stood up. "Mother, stop! I'm never getting married. I'm going to school in Indiana next fall and I've already been accepted so there is nothing more to be said about it." Jeanne said finally getting up the nerve to stand up for herself.
"You what? How could you even think of doing that?" She cried in outrage.
"Because, Mama, I want to learn. I want to be something more than just a wife and Mother, I want to study Medicine." Jeanne said pleadingly
"Huh! It's impossible. There ain't no women doctors." Bess retorted.
"Shows how much you know. Women have been doing the doctoring for their families since the beginning of time and there are several women doctors in this country. 5 to be exact." Miss Prye told her. "There are ten times that in Europe."
"I might have known, a spinster school marm like yourself would be talking to my daughter behind my back." Bess said angrily
"Actually it was me." Linda Montgomery spoke up. "I've seen Jeanne helping Doc Adams many times, and she's a natural at it. And she loves helping people so I contacted my father, who you might remember is the Dean of the college in Indiana and he sent me the papers and tests and I sent him the record of her grades. And that was enough. She's one of the smartest young ladies I know and she wanted this, so I helped her." Linda finished.
"Ladies, please?" The Reverend's wife spoke as sternly as possible. "We have things discuss about the orphanage."
"I will speak with you when we get home." Bess said to Jeanne.
"It's no use, Mama, my mind is made up and Papa agrees with me." She said resolutely as she sat down in her chair.
Bess sat down as well and her heart was breaking, but not because her daughter was leaving her but because her daughter had finally stood up to her which meant she would never be able to demand she do anything, such as marrying a good man and having children.
"Mama," Jeanne said gently. "Someday, I will get married and give you the grandchildren you want. But I at least have to try. This is very important to me." She said softly. Bess gently touched her daughter's hand and shook her head yes.
Kerry White finally stood up and spoke. "Well if you people are done with you childish affairs, I'd like to get on with the business at hand." She said stepping up to the table. Linda smiled at her and moved into the spot she was trying to take which was the chairwoman's seat. Kerry glared at her.
"I don't know why we have to constantly go through this with those two. Why is Kitty Russell here anyway. If you would just oust her, then Bess would not snipe with her every meeting." Kerry White said.
"Kitty's here because she's the one who got this Auxiliary started in the first place." Bess said to Kerry's surprise.
"Why are you defending her?" Kerry asked her.
"Because my arguments with Kitty are the most exciting things in my life at this moment." She said and Kitty laughed. "Besides, don't you dare try to be on my side, Kerry, you don't like me and I'll not have someone who speaks behind another's back. When I have something to say to Kitty, I go to her and say it. I do not gripe and groan to others around me wanting them to agree with me and take sides. I know where Kitty stands and she knows where I stand."
Kerry sat down defeated and the other women laughed. "Okay," Linda said as she pulled the papers our of the book and began to read the information on the repairs needed for the orphanage. "Since we had our entertainment for the month, let's get to the business at hand." She said smiling to herself.
"Dag nabbit.. I surely do hate these auxilee-aree meetings!" Festus said looking at the checker board as he tried to play checkers with doc.
"Why? You're not the one stuck in that stuffy room with all those women like poor Kitty is." Doc said.
"And that's another thing, Doc, that Bess Turner, she's an ornery wild one. She don't like Miss Kitty none and don't keep that no secret neither." Festus said as he moved his king right in the line of fire for Doc.
Doc jumped his king and then proceeded to jump another two checkers.
"You been a playing checkers with Kitty again, ain't ya, Doc." Festus said looking sourly at him and his measly three more men on the board.
"Yup, that little girl sure does have a way with board games." He said cheerfully.
TBC
I'm gonna stop here for now, but if you know my writing, you know my two favorites are Matt and Kitty and I always make it worth reading. I'm not sure when I shall return, but please review even if you find it to be boring. Thanks and please forgive the errors. I really need to learn to take my time more.
KR