Astounded: Day 2

Word Count: 12,014

Summary of Events:

Being as the weather had warmed, Penrod decided to go out and introduce himself to the residents of Verdant, and he started with the pastor, who invited him to stay for breakfast. Jemima milked the cow and worried about how the cow's calving would go, being as she wasn't sure she could help if things went wrong. Penrod went to the saloon and ended up visiting with eight local men while they played their daily game of poker. Jemima had her afternoon tea and then set to work cleaning the entire house being as she had nothing else to do.

Excerpt of the Day:

""When're you planning to get hitched?" Mr. Hallman asked, looking at Penrod.

"This summer sometime," Penrod replied. "Hopefully it won't be too hard for Mr. Plumley to hold the fort by himself a week or two."

"Al would have a problem," Mr. Spracklin said.

"Oh?" Penrod asked, surprised.

"This town wouldn't need a deputy if Al paid a little more attention," Mr. Spracklin replied.

"He said he has some thousand people to keep an eye on," Penrod said. "With the rural surroundings accounted for."

"A thousand!?" Mr. Solomon, Sr. exclaimed.

"He was inflating numbers," Penrod said flatly.

"I'll say!" Mr. Solomon exclaimed. "This town's got a good four hundred fifty, and there's probably no more than a hundred in the outlying areas."

"It was verging on some seven hundred souls," Mr. Jackson said. "About ten years ago, but then the scarlet fever came through and a lot of people died. The ones that didn't packed up and ran so they didn't fall ill."

"That was a bad year," Mr. Solomon said, shaking his head.

"There were so many dead eventually we just buried them and had the funeral later once everyone was better," Mr. Spracklin said. "That's the whole reason I have the ranch."

"How do you mean?" Penrod asked. "If you don't mind my asking."

"Killed my older brother," Mr. Spracklin replied.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Penrod said.

"We've probably got the biggest cemetery west of Casper because of the fever," Mr. Verret said.

Penrod nodded soberly.

"But we're alright now," Mr. Verret said. "No more major epidemics in town since then."

Mr. MacPherson came over to survey the game. "Ye need some wettin' lads?" he asked.

Several men passed him empty glasses and he moved on again.

"But, back to what we were talking about with Mr. Plumley," Penrod said. "How would he not need a deputy if he paid more attention?"

"That?" Mr. Spracklin asked. "Well, Al and Ru spend too much time together for one thing."

"It's Rupert," Mr. Jeffcoat muttered through his teeth. "And we hardly run into each other."

"Well, you're both at the same place," Mr. Spracklin said.

Penrod nodded, he'd been suspicious of as much.

"At least I'm closer in age to the women I spend time with," Mr. Jeffcoat muttered.

Most of the men around the table shuddered violently and made faces.

"As true as that is, it doesn't make you any more honourable than he is," Mr. Jackson said. "After all, you're not marrying any of them either."

"Oh shove off," Mr. Jeffcoat growled as Mr. MacPherson came back with the refilled mugs."