As the stage got closer to town, Evelyn made a plan as to what she was going to do. At least to get herself introduced to her new environment. She knew she couldn’t just find any job. Women in these days couldn’t take care of themselves. At least not in the way she was used to. She wouldn’t be able to open a bank account, she wouldn’t be able to buy a house or rent a room. Her only option was to find a job in the local saloon and hope that she could pass as a normal 1880s young woman. She wasn’t sure about her long term plan, but for the time being, it was the best option to get her through the next few weeks.
When the stage arrived at Old Ashton Town, Evelyn looked around at all the old Western buildings as the stage driver rode to the depot. It really did look like a movie set, but everything was so real. People were walking around in their slacks and dresses. Most of them patched in places that had torn because it was the only clothing they owned. She could tell which were the more well off ladies, likely married to rich mine owners, as their dresses were more similar to popular fashions of the time. Evelyn took another deep breath, knowing that her attire would likely get her stares since her dress wasn’t just patched. It was practically torn to shreds. But she just had to make it to the saloon. Then she would figure things out from there. One step at a time.
The stage driver pulled up to the depot and got Evelyn’s bag down before opening the door to help her out. He looked sheepish at her and said, “Here we are Miss Anderson. I’m really sorry again for all the trouble.” Evelyn smiled back, “No trouble at all sir. I hope the sheriff can find those stage robbers and get your money back.” He smiled brightly at her, “Thank you Miss. If you need some advice, that saloon right over there is the best one in town.” He pointed to a saloon that was in the center of town. It didn’t seem to have anyone hanging around, but it was still early in the morning. Evelyn smiled and replied, “I’ll start there. Thank you!” She grabbed her bags and headed for the saloon. As she walked on the dusty road, she could see some people make disgusted looks at her clothes. But she reminded herself that she didn’t have a choice but to put herself through this.
The saloon seemed quiet, but when she walked through the doors, she could see a man behind the counter setting up for the day. He was wearing exactly what she pictured a saloon owner would wear, and his hair was jet black. She walked over to him and said, “Excuse me…” When he looked up at her, he gave her a confused look as she continued, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I just came into town off the stage. The stage was robbed and I’m afraid I’m out of money. Do you happen to have a job opening?” The man looked even more confused but said, “Well I’m sorry to hear that ma’am. Unfortunately I have all the girls I need at the moment.” Evelyn’s eyes fell slightly, but before she could reply, a bouncing blonde haired woman came running over in a light blue saloon girl dress. She shouted, “Wait Louis! Millie got married last week, remember? We could use another girl!” The man, Louis’, eyes lit up, “Oh that’s right! We do have an opening! Well ma’am you’re hired! My name is Louis Cleave, and this here is Lydia Jewell. She’s the head saloon girl so she’ll be helping you out.” Evelyn smiled, “Thank you Mr. Cleave. My name is Evelyn Anderson.” Then she turned to Lydia, “And thank you Miss Jewell! I really appreciate the help.” Lydia gave a bright smile, “Don’t mention it sweetie! Let’s get you up to your new room! I think I have a spare dress in your size too! Might need a little stitching, but I can take care of that!” Evelyn nodded, “Thank you. It really is very kind of you to help me.” She just giggled, “It’s no trouble Miss Anderson! Us girls gotta stick together right? We’ve all been in your shoes before and it ain’t fun.” Evelyn sighed, “No it certainly is not. But you’re right, that’s why we have to stick together.”
Lydia led her to a room that was a few doors down on the left from the top of the stairs. The door looked flimsy but Evelyn reminded herself that it was the 1800s. Lydia opened the door and said, “Well Miss Anderson, welcome home! At least for the time being of course. You’re welcome to come and go as you please, but our shifts start at noon and the bar closes at midnight. Since it’s almost noon now, you’ll start tomorrow. That will also give me time to get your dress fitted, so use today to rest from your journey and get yourself situated.” Evelyn smiled, “Thank you Miss Jewell.” She giggled back, “You can call me Lydia. I’m not so formal around here.” Evelyn nodded, “Well then you can call me Evie. That was my nickname back east. I hope we can become good friends Lydia.” Lydia smiled wider, “I’m sure we will Evie! You get yourself comfortable and I’ll bring you some food.”
When Lydia left the room, Evelyn took a moment to look around the room. It looked like a small apartment with a living space fit with a few chairs and a small hearth in the center to keep the room warm in the winter. The only other thing in the main living space was a cabinet that she could use to store things, and a few paintings on the walls. A small window lay directly on the opposite side of the room. She walked over and looked out the window, still reeling over the fact that she was somewhere in the West in the mid 1880s. She took a deep breath and walked over to the bedroom. It was separate from the main living space but only by a wall with a wide opening in the center. Inside the bedroom was a full sized bed, complete with two pillows, sheets and a blanket cover. There was a wardrobe, she assumed was meant for keeping her dresses in the corner. And a vanity complete with a water basin for washing. Then she saw in the corner, next to the vanity, a chamber pot. Evelyn had to take another deep breath. Panicking wasn’t going to change things, and she certainly wasn’t dreaming at this point. Life was going to be extremely different moving forward, but as long as she was living and breathing, she would make it work.
As she set her bags down and began going through the little amount of belongings she had, there was a knock at the door. Evelyn opened it to see Lydia carrying a tray of food and a bucket of water. Lydia smiled, “I thought I’d bring you some fresh water to wash up! We try to stay clean at this saloon.” Evelyn smiled back, “That’s so thoughtful of you Lydia, thank you.” Lydia brought in the tray and bucket and set them down by the sitting area. She looked over and saw the open bags on the bed. She gave a sad glance as she said, “Not a lot of stuff huh?” Evelyn sighed, “No… truthfully I spent all my money to make it out this far. The only thing of importance I own is a journal and writing set, but everything else I had to get rid of.” Lydia turned to her and gave her a bright smile, “I’ll help you out Evie! I’ve been there myself and if it wasn’t for a couple of my ranch owner friends, I would be worse off than you. So it’s the least I can do!” Evelyn gave her an honest smile, “I truly appreciate it, Lydia… and in return, I promise to do my best working in the saloon.” Lydia smiled bright, “I’ll be sure to help you with that too! OH! Let me get your dress! You can try it on while I’m working downstairs, and if you have a mind to, you can do some tailoring until I can come up and help you.” Evelyn crossed her arms as Lydia made her way to the door, “I don’t know what I’d do without you Lydia. I promise to do my best to repay you.” Lydia giggled as she left the room and gave her a big, blue eyed wink before going to her own room.
*Two weeks later*
Things had been going well for Evelyn the first week she had been working at the saloon. Life was certainly very different and she was having trouble keeping her mind busy. Without technology to keep her preoccupied during her down time, and no money to buy books, she was forced to simply write in her journal and focus on living a new life. There wasn’t a lot of down time, however, as the saloon was open from noon until midnight six days a week, and there were only five saloon girls so no one really had days off. The exception was Sunday, and on Sundays, the girls gathered downstairs to talk amongst themselves for the majority of the day. She had done her best to be social with the other saloon girls, but it was quite a challenge with the different style of talk in the old west and not much they could connect on. But Lydia didn’t seem to mind her “unique” dialect and the two became closer friends as the week continued. Evelyn had chosen to stick with Lydia since she was the one to show her how to properly work in a saloon, and make money getting men to buy her drinks. Thankfully she wasn’t a lightweight. Though the drinks weren’t very strong to begin with, and in fact didn’t taste good, but it was her only way to make money. Lydia had done so much for her in that first week that Evelyn made a point to help her any time Lydia needed it. The two bonded and despite that they hardly knew anything about each other (Lydia was as tight lipped about herself as Evelyn was about being from the future) they already felt inseparable as friends.
The second Tuesday that Evelyn had been working at the saloon was the same as all the other nights. It was a slow afternoon serving mostly coal and silver miners, then as the evening came and the sun went down, nearly the whole town of men came into the saloon. The girls were typically split, each with three tables to tend to. Definitely not the maximum they could handle, but it made sure that every one of them had something to do all night. Lydia always made sure to keep close to Evelyn so she could be around in case a problem arose. The first couple nights this came in handy, but as Evelyn got used to working, she no longer needed the help. But they still liked to be close to each other so they could chat. On this night, Evelyn noticed that not all the tables were full. Particularly one of Lydia’s tables, and she seemed to want to keep it that way. But Evelyn kept her suspicions to herself as she catered to her own three tables. The men had asked her to join a round of poker, but she politely declined as usual. Not wanting to lose money gambling. They seemed to take it as her being mysterious and seemed to like her quiet demeanor. She used this to her advantage as she paraded around the tables refilling glasses while the music played. The men laughed and flirted with her as she ignored their advances, but kept a flirtatious attitude about her to keep it coming.
Then suddenly, as the clock struck six o’clock in the evening, a man walked through the door that caused the whole room to go silent. Evelyn turned and froze as she laid eyes on the most attractive man she had ever seen. He was easily six feet tall and was quite muscular. His hair was dark brown and nicely kept, with a thick beard that was also properly trimmed. He wore dark brown slacks with a nice tan button up shirt that was covered by a brown jacket to keep the cool autumn air out. His eyes were a light hazel color that were warm and welcoming. Evelyn was having a hard time not staring at him with her jaw hanging open. It seemed everyone else was entranced as well as the room continued to be silent for a moment before the man smiled and spoke with a silky, deep voice, “What’s everybody staring at? A man can’t come home to a nice whiskey after a long cattle run?” The room erupted with laughter as some of the men shouted, “Good to have you home Harry!” and “Welcome home, Harry!” Then it seemed everyone snapped back to reality and went about their business. Evelyn went back to work as she tried not to be distracted by the man as he made his way to Lydia’s empty table. Lydia was waiting for him as he came up and hugged her. This sparked Evelyn’s curiosity into a flame, but still she kept to herself. Not wanting to seem desperate by inquiring too soon. She went back to tending tables while the man and Lydia began talking.
Lydia invited him to take a seat while she stood behind one of the chairs. They began with idle chat over how his cattle run went, then the man transitioned by sitting back in his chair with his whiskey, “So… are you going to tell me why you’re not sitting down?” Lydia’s face practically beamed with excitement. She laughed, “You know me too well, Harrison. I have someone I want to introduce you to, but first I needed to explain myself. She’s new to the saloon, and I know you don’t want me introducing you to the new girls, but hear me out.” Harrison sighed but listened as she continued, “You and I have known each other basically our whole lives, so you know I wouldn’t introduce you to a woman unless I knew for certain you’d like her. Wouldn’t you agree?” Harrison gave a smirk and nodded. Lydia bit her lip as she smiled, “She’s unlike any of the girls I’ve ever met. She’s very quiet and reserved, and she claims she’s never gone to school, but I swear to you Harrison she’s the smartest girl you’ll ever meet. She’s very sweet and I really think you’ll like this one.” Harrison gave a light chuckle as he watched Lydia practically bounce with excitement. He didn’t like the idea of being introduced to young women around town. Everyone expected him to get married as soon as possible to keep his ranch a “family ranch”, but he wasn’t into the idea of marrying for convenience sake. So ever since his parent’s passing, he avoided everyone in town besides Lydia. But Lydia was right about one thing, she did know him best, and she’d never introduced him to a girl before. A year ago, one of the new girls had tried to convince Lydia to introduce her to him, but she was adamant that it wouldn’t work. So instead the girl practically flung herself at Harrison, trying to impress him. Needless to say, she wound up leaving town pretty quick. Harrison finally smirked and replied, “Oh alright… if you insist she’s that unique.” Lydia quietly squealed before rushing off to talk to the other saloon girls. Harrison looked around, now curious as to who he was about to be introduced to. After a few moments, he watched Lydia walk up to a brunette in a deep red dress. She turned to Lydia when she got the girl’s attention. Harrison sucked in a breath as he saw her. She was petite yet curvy. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled into a proper updo, and her eyes… Harrison processed her beautiful brown eyes. They were deep and thoughtful, and he could see how gentle she was just from looking into her eyes. Harrison thought to himself as he took another sip of whiskey to calm himself down, ‘maybe Lydia is right about this one…’
Meanwhile, Lydia had talked to some of the other girls and made a plan to get Evelyn free from her tables. Then Lydia walked over to her. Evelyn was standing at the bar waiting for drinks from Louis. Lydia said to Evelyn as she tapped her on the shoulder, “Can we talk a minute?” Evelyn turned and her eyes were wide. She replied, “Oh… sure? I thought you were busy with your tables?” Lydia smiled, “Oh I am! But I have someone I want to introduce to you!” Evelyn, taking the hint, suddenly felt herself get very shy, “Oh I don’t know Lydi… I have several tables waiting for refills.” Lydia smiled back, “Not anymore. I gave your tables to the other girls.” Evelyn scowled, “Lydia I need that money.” Lydia kept her smile as she grabbed Evelyn’s hand, “Evie. This man I’m about to introduce you to will give you more money than all of those tables combined.” Evelyn’s eyes widened as Lydia continued with a sly smile, “His name is Harrison Silvers. He and his brother run the Silvers’ Ranch just outside of town.” Evelyn’s eyes widened further, “That one that everyone says is the most profitable ranch on this side of the Mississippi?!” Lydia nodded, “He’s the most eligible bachelor in town. I’ve known him most of my life, so you can believe me when I tell you, you two need to meet.” Evelyn sighed, “I don’t know Lydia…” Lydia didn’t let her try to back out as she dragged her to the table. Evelyn tried her best not to look horrified.
Lydia dragged her to the table as Harrison stood up. Lydia smiled and said to him as she pulled Evelyn to her side, “Harrison, this is Miss Evelyn Anderson. She came to us from Virginia about two weeks ago.” Then she turned to Evelyn, “Evie, this is Harrison Silvers.” Harrison smiled, trying to hide his own nerves, and said with his hand outstretched, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Anderson.” Evelyn took a breath and replied shaking his hand, “The pleasure is all mine Mr. Silvers.” He brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed it. She tried her best to keep calm as Lydia giggled to herself, “Alright! I’ll leave you two kids alone!” Harrison decided to return the favor and embarrass Lydia as he replied, “You know Lydi, Clark will be in any minute… he’ll be itching to play a few rounds with you.” Her bright blue eyes went wide as she stuttered, “Oh… I’m sure he’s too tired to play a round with me! I mean… after all… you two were gone for quite a while.” Evelyn fought the laugh creeping up in her chest. In the two weeks she had been in town, she had never seen Lydia so red in the face. But Harrison crossed his arms and continued, “He did make a lot of money on this trip… said he wasn’t going to put all of it in the bank either.” A sly smile crept onto her face as she replied, “I’ll set up a table! Send him to the bar when he gets in!” Then she rushed off to talk to the bartender.
Evelyn laughed as she said to Harrison, “What was that all about?” Harrison smirked as he invited her to take a seat, “Those two have a bit of a gambling habit, but they like to play with each other because they put on a show while they gamble. My brother brings in a big pile of money every time. They play legitimately, but they’ll throw out ridiculous amounts to draw in a crowd. Then whoever wins throws a big celebration and buys a round of drinks. Afterward, when everyone has gone home, they split the money 60/40 so both of them wind up with something to take home.” Evelyn laughed, “Good showmanship! Why was Lydia so hesitant though?” Harrison clicked his tongue, “That I’m not too sure of… they’ve been hesitant around each other for the past year or so… My guess is it had to do with our parent’s passing.” Evelyn grew a solemn face, “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Harrison sighed and shook his head, “It was tragic, I won’t lie… but such is life.” Evelyn gave an honest smile, “Best thing you can do is move forward and honor their memory.” Harrison gave a smile this time, “My thoughts exactly. That’s why Clark and I are always so busy with our ranch… but we make sure to come by town every so often to check on Lydia. She’s one of our oldest friends.” Evelyn smiled wider, “I’d love to hear the story of how you met sometime.” Harrison smiled wider back, “And I’ll be sure to tell it to you, but for tonight I’m quite interested to hear more about you.” Evelyn blushed lightly and fidgeted as she repeated her lie about her past, “There’s really not much to tell… I was born in Virginia and orphaned at a young age. I’m not even really sure how old I was when I went to the orphanage, but I stayed there until I was at a working age. I made my way through workhouses until I had salvaged enough money to make a trip out west. It hasn’t been an easy life, but I’m grateful I haven’t had it as rough as some women.” She did her best to be as historically accurate as possible, but it seemed to be working as Harrison gave her a sad look, “I imagine it was still challenging though…” Evelyn shrugged, “Best thing you can do is move forward.” Harrison gave a bright smile and nodded, “Quite true! Suppose we’ve both had to work hard in our lives.” Evelyn nodded, absolutely enchanted by the man in front of her.
Meanwhile, another person came through the doors. The room erupted with cheers and laughter as a younger version of Harrison made his way through the saloon. He was skinnier but about the same height. He wore fancy grey slacks and a light grey button-up with a dark, fancy vest. His face and hair looked similar to Harrison’s but this young man was clean shaven. The people in the saloon were greeting the boy as he made his way to his brother’s table. Harrison smiled as the boy came over and said, “Harry! I put the money in the bank!” Harrison laughed, “Oh yeah? All of it?” The boy chuckled nervously, “Well… most of it. I gotta have something to play with tonight!” Harrison shook his head but changed the subject, “Clark I’d like you to meet Miss Evelyn Anderson. Lydia introduced us, and she’s new to the saloon.” Clark grew a big smile on his face as he reached out his hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Anderson! My name is Clark Silvers!” She gently shook his hand and replied modestly, “The pleasure is all mine Mr. Silvers.” Clark gave a boyish chuckle as Harrison said, “You know… I think Lydia was setting up a table for you. She wanted you to get a drink at the bar before you start a round.” Clark suddenly got sheepish as he replied, “Oh… are you sure? I didn’t think she’d want to play a round with me…”
He was interrupted by a voice shouting from the other side of the room, “CLARK! Hurry up and get a drink!” Lydia stood by an empty table with a coy smile on her face as Clark smiled wide. He said to Evelyn and Harrison before running to the bar, “Excuse me!” and rushed off. Evelyn laughed as she turned her attention back to Harrison. He smiled at her and said, “There… that’ll keep the room occupied for the night so we can get to know each other better.” Evelyn gave a shy smile, “Are you sure you want to get to know me better? I might be pretty boring.” Harrison leaned forward against the table, “I seriously doubt that.” Evelyn smiled wider, “Well I certainly appreciate the company. I don’t remember the last time I had the chance to sit with someone and have an actual conversation, besides gossip with the saloon girls of course.” Harrison smirked as he took a sip of whiskey, “Yes I must say it’s been a while for me too… I don’t talk about it too much but between the busyness of the ranch and cattle runs, I really only come into town nowadays for business and to check up on Lydia. It’s nice to have something else to keep me in town.” Evelyn blushed and gave a genuine smile, “I hope I’m good company then.” Harrison gave a flirtatious smile, “I already know you are.”
They continued talking well into the night as Clark and Lydia played four rounds of poker. After Lydia won the fourth round, cheers erupted from the crowd in the room. Harrison sighed with an empty glass in hand, “Well… I guess Clark and I had better head on home. It’s a bit of a ride out to the ranch and it’s later than I’d like it to be.” Evelyn smiled, “Well it’s been a very pleasant evening Mr. Silvers. I hope you and your brother have a safe trip home.” Harrison smirked as he gently grabbed Evelyn’s hand and gave it another gentle kiss, “It has been a very pleasant evening… I hope to see you again soon.” Blushing, Evelyn returned his flirtatious smile, “I certainly won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” Harrison smiled wider as he stood and grabbed his hat, “I should hope not. Goodnight Miss Anderson.” Evelyn inclined her head to him, “Goodnight Mr. Silvers.” She watched as Harrison collected Clark and together the Silvers brothers went off to their ranch, leaving a star struck Evelyn. Lydia smiled at her from the other side of the room. She walked over and said as she got Evelyn’s attention, “Come help me clean up!” Evelyn smiled, knowing what was coming, as she helped Lydia clean up the poker table. Lydia practically squealed with excitement as she whispered, “So… how did it go?!” Evelyn kept her smile on her face as she avoided eye contact, “I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about.” Lydia rolled her eyes, “Oh come on Evie! I’ve known him my whole life! I’ve never seen him this interested in a woman before. You need to give me details!” Evelyn laughed as she looked at Lydia’s gleaming eyes, “There’s nothing to tell really. We just talked. About my past, about his work, our common interests… We both love reading.” Lydia actually squealed with excitement, “I knew it! I knew you two would be perfect for each other!” Evelyn smiled wider, “I’m not so sure about that, but he definitely enchanted me. So much so that I don’t feel guilty about not making any money tonight.” Lydia laughed, “Oh you won’t have to worry about that! He snuck some money into my pocket before he left and told me that the two of us should make sure we get some nice dresses.” Evelyn blushed, “Nice dresses?” Lydia smiled wider, “He probably wants to take you to his ranch. Something he’s never done for a woman before.” She winked as she continued cleaning up the cards on the table. Evelyn was blown away. She could tell they had hit it off, but she didn’t realize how seriously he had fallen for her. Something that made her extremely happy and nervous at the same time. She wasn’t sure how logical it was forming a serious relationship, given her situation. But if she was to take Professor Holbert’s note seriously, she wasn’t going back to her own time. So she would have to establish some kind of life in this old Western town.
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