The girl next to the horse suddenly straightened and looked very angry as
she spoke. "I am not supposed to be here at all. This pervert kidnapped
me."
All eyes swung to Spot who was just as taken aback as they were. "I did no such thing my dear."
"Yes you most certainly did. I came to Bloomington to take care of my aunt who was dying and you," the new Mrs. Conlon paused for a moment as she gathered her wits. "You tricked me. You said you were sent by my aunt to collect me. You lied to me all the way up to the parsons door then you took that awful hat in your hands and you tell me my Aunt Katherine is dead and we were at the parson's to make arraignments. Then all of a sudden the parson is pronouncing us husband and wife. In all my days I have never been so humiliated. I can't believe the story you pulled. Telling that poor man that I had come out to marry you as if any woman in her right mind would come and marry a no good sneak like you." Calyx looked around at the shocked faces of her audience then gulped. "Oh I'm sorry." She said before suddenly bursting into tears.
Hazel was the first to recover from her shock and put an arm around the sobbing girl. "There, there it'll be okay. I'm sure we'll get this all sorted out in no time. You'll be okay." She patted Calyx on the back before shooting Pip a panicked look. "A little help here." She hissed.
Pip sprung into action then. "Okay boys the shows over, where are the three of us girls going to sleep?"
The guys looked at each other blankly. "With us?" Bumlets finally ventured which caused a renewed sobbing from Calyx.
"I don't think that is a good idea mister." Pip said threateningly.
Race had a sudden thought, "You know why don't we take the barn and the girls can have the house all to themselves."
Hazel pounced on the idea quickly, "That is a wonderful idea. You seven have until dinner to clear out of the house. Anything that is left in the house after dinner is ours." She smiled sweetly as she lead Calyx up the stairs and into the house. Pip motioned Spot to follow her away from the house, but not before shooting a glare at the remaining boys.
As Spot and Pip moved out of earshot the other boys looked at Jack for direction. "You know usually I would just ignore them, but I think they are serious." The other boys nodded and an all out race was on to see who could get their possessions out of the house the quickest.
By the barn Spot was getting his own personal dressing down from Pip. "Benjamin Conlon I can not believe you would do that to that poor girl. You kidnapped her and forced a wedding on her. Of all the insensitive idiodic things you could do."
"Hold up Penelope what do you mean things I could have done. I saved that girl from having to deal with all the snobby society people in town. They would have looked down on her because of her clothing, they would have snubbed her because of her accent and they would have turned their backs on her because of who her aunt was."
"What do you mean by that? She is wearing the most well put together outfit I have ever seen in my life, and it isn't as if our bookstore wasn't in a good part of town. As for her accent, well everyone here has one. And what do you mean who her aunt was?"
"Martha Williams, Calyx's aunt was a bit of an eccentric. We're living on her land, well it's ours now, but it started out as hers. She was a nice lady, when we came into town she made sure we didn't starve to death. Our tab at the general store was paid off each month, only because Miz Williams took pity on us. She had this land laying around and told us that we could work it until she was satisfied we wouldn't go under then she would give it to us scot free. They read her will two days ago, and while Calyx's mother got the house and the little money that Miz Williams had left, the seven of us got the land."
"You just out right got all the land? Then you married the girl for her aunt's money. Or to make sure no one contested the will." Pip said incredulously.
"No that's the thing there was no one left to contest the will. Miz Williams had let all of her servants off. The town doctor and the parson's wives were the ones taking care of her. And she made sure they were well rewarded but Calyx gets the house and the rest of the money. The lawyer who read the will said that he had held off reading it as long as possible and if Miz William's niece didn't show in six months the rest went to us too. If I had wanted the money I wouldn't have married the girl." Spot protested.
"Then why did you marry her." Pip asked her hands on her hips.
"Well, she was there." Spot said shrugging his shoulders finally.
"She was there." Pip said pausing between each word. She growled in her throat and threw up her hands. "She was right, you are a pervert. All of you boys are, what are you thinking bringing seven girls here to marry just like that. They don't know who you are. They don't' know anything about you. But you are all going to just marry them? This is the stupidest idea ever, even more so than a strike by the newsies to lower the price of papes."
"But Sis that worked. We got Pulitzer to listen."
"Yeah but you also almost got a guy killed because of it. Let's just hope that this one doesn't blow up in your faces." Pip said her skepticism obvious.
"It won't, at least not for me." Spot smiled "I'm already married."
Pip snorted rolled her eyes and slapped him on the side of the head. "You only got married on paper, she ain't gonna let you near her with a twelve foot pole."
"Oh that is what you think little sister. The Conlon charm will do the trick she'll be mine before the rest of the girls even show up." Spot boasted.
"Really? Okay I bet you." Pip stopped for a moment. "I bet you your key for my locket that she doesn't fall for you."
"Deal." Spot said spitting in his hand. Pip copied his action and they shook on it. Pip quickly gave Spot a hug.
"You know it is nice to see you again Spot." Pip said standing back.
"It's nice to see again to Pipsqueak." Spot said a bit taken back by her sudden show of affection.
Pip smiled and held up a leather thong with a key dangling on it. "I really do think that this key will be a perfect necklace."
Spot reached for what was obviously missing from his neck and could only try to catch up with the already running Pip, "Hey give that back I still have two weeks."
All eyes swung to Spot who was just as taken aback as they were. "I did no such thing my dear."
"Yes you most certainly did. I came to Bloomington to take care of my aunt who was dying and you," the new Mrs. Conlon paused for a moment as she gathered her wits. "You tricked me. You said you were sent by my aunt to collect me. You lied to me all the way up to the parsons door then you took that awful hat in your hands and you tell me my Aunt Katherine is dead and we were at the parson's to make arraignments. Then all of a sudden the parson is pronouncing us husband and wife. In all my days I have never been so humiliated. I can't believe the story you pulled. Telling that poor man that I had come out to marry you as if any woman in her right mind would come and marry a no good sneak like you." Calyx looked around at the shocked faces of her audience then gulped. "Oh I'm sorry." She said before suddenly bursting into tears.
Hazel was the first to recover from her shock and put an arm around the sobbing girl. "There, there it'll be okay. I'm sure we'll get this all sorted out in no time. You'll be okay." She patted Calyx on the back before shooting Pip a panicked look. "A little help here." She hissed.
Pip sprung into action then. "Okay boys the shows over, where are the three of us girls going to sleep?"
The guys looked at each other blankly. "With us?" Bumlets finally ventured which caused a renewed sobbing from Calyx.
"I don't think that is a good idea mister." Pip said threateningly.
Race had a sudden thought, "You know why don't we take the barn and the girls can have the house all to themselves."
Hazel pounced on the idea quickly, "That is a wonderful idea. You seven have until dinner to clear out of the house. Anything that is left in the house after dinner is ours." She smiled sweetly as she lead Calyx up the stairs and into the house. Pip motioned Spot to follow her away from the house, but not before shooting a glare at the remaining boys.
As Spot and Pip moved out of earshot the other boys looked at Jack for direction. "You know usually I would just ignore them, but I think they are serious." The other boys nodded and an all out race was on to see who could get their possessions out of the house the quickest.
By the barn Spot was getting his own personal dressing down from Pip. "Benjamin Conlon I can not believe you would do that to that poor girl. You kidnapped her and forced a wedding on her. Of all the insensitive idiodic things you could do."
"Hold up Penelope what do you mean things I could have done. I saved that girl from having to deal with all the snobby society people in town. They would have looked down on her because of her clothing, they would have snubbed her because of her accent and they would have turned their backs on her because of who her aunt was."
"What do you mean by that? She is wearing the most well put together outfit I have ever seen in my life, and it isn't as if our bookstore wasn't in a good part of town. As for her accent, well everyone here has one. And what do you mean who her aunt was?"
"Martha Williams, Calyx's aunt was a bit of an eccentric. We're living on her land, well it's ours now, but it started out as hers. She was a nice lady, when we came into town she made sure we didn't starve to death. Our tab at the general store was paid off each month, only because Miz Williams took pity on us. She had this land laying around and told us that we could work it until she was satisfied we wouldn't go under then she would give it to us scot free. They read her will two days ago, and while Calyx's mother got the house and the little money that Miz Williams had left, the seven of us got the land."
"You just out right got all the land? Then you married the girl for her aunt's money. Or to make sure no one contested the will." Pip said incredulously.
"No that's the thing there was no one left to contest the will. Miz Williams had let all of her servants off. The town doctor and the parson's wives were the ones taking care of her. And she made sure they were well rewarded but Calyx gets the house and the rest of the money. The lawyer who read the will said that he had held off reading it as long as possible and if Miz William's niece didn't show in six months the rest went to us too. If I had wanted the money I wouldn't have married the girl." Spot protested.
"Then why did you marry her." Pip asked her hands on her hips.
"Well, she was there." Spot said shrugging his shoulders finally.
"She was there." Pip said pausing between each word. She growled in her throat and threw up her hands. "She was right, you are a pervert. All of you boys are, what are you thinking bringing seven girls here to marry just like that. They don't know who you are. They don't' know anything about you. But you are all going to just marry them? This is the stupidest idea ever, even more so than a strike by the newsies to lower the price of papes."
"But Sis that worked. We got Pulitzer to listen."
"Yeah but you also almost got a guy killed because of it. Let's just hope that this one doesn't blow up in your faces." Pip said her skepticism obvious.
"It won't, at least not for me." Spot smiled "I'm already married."
Pip snorted rolled her eyes and slapped him on the side of the head. "You only got married on paper, she ain't gonna let you near her with a twelve foot pole."
"Oh that is what you think little sister. The Conlon charm will do the trick she'll be mine before the rest of the girls even show up." Spot boasted.
"Really? Okay I bet you." Pip stopped for a moment. "I bet you your key for my locket that she doesn't fall for you."
"Deal." Spot said spitting in his hand. Pip copied his action and they shook on it. Pip quickly gave Spot a hug.
"You know it is nice to see you again Spot." Pip said standing back.
"It's nice to see again to Pipsqueak." Spot said a bit taken back by her sudden show of affection.
Pip smiled and held up a leather thong with a key dangling on it. "I really do think that this key will be a perfect necklace."
Spot reached for what was obviously missing from his neck and could only try to catch up with the already running Pip, "Hey give that back I still have two weeks."
