As winter sets into Maddock, most minds are on the still yet unresolved Mayoral election, but cold winter nights bring idleness and it slowly becomes apparent that the Ladies Auxiliary Club's constant efforts to bring propriety to Maddock seem to be taking effect. Gossip is something that can always warm a cold night, sitting by the fire with just a splash in the tea or coffee, for medicinal purposes. A splash of whiskey that is! Not like some of those folks.
Whom you ask? Well it's certainly something that can't be confirmed, but there appear to be at least two people in Maddock who are showing signs that they can't leave their house in the morning without a Laudanum dose to start the day. Never mind that possibly come mid-day and evening, a second and third dose is taken. Doctor Kei has already been overheard voicing concerns over the tonic, it is no secret he despises the stuff.
Course, Doctor Kei's been the subject of some impropriety too, in a rumor that has yet to be confirmed. It hasn't been much of a secret that he's been spending time upstairs at the dance hall, though his proponents claim he is just doing his doctor duty by the girls. Still, someone's been saying that Miss Gem is pregnant and even more interestingly that Doctor Kei has married her! It's a rumor that ladies love to titter about, but believe? No, they can't get a single confirmation that such a marriage ever took place. Guess time will tell when and if Miss Gem starts to lose that fantastic figure.
Meanwhile, one doesn't even need to head to the Saloon for a good fight anymore. Not one month after re-opening, a fight broke out at Ylsa's restaurant and wouldn't you know it involved Theo Grey. That young buck is really turning into quite a trouble maker, can't turn your head without another spot of trouble coming from him. It's a good thing that he's taken to Great Falls for a few months, maybe finally the town can settle down.
The biggest news to the Ladies of the Auxiliary is the new boarding house proprietor's decision to separate unmarried women and men. She's spending quite a penny on construction to add a new wing to the boarding house and establishing some rules about unchaperoned visits. Certainly Miss Mariah must have been quite pleased when Miss Dumont packed her bags and moved into the General Store, the center of several suspicious mixed company visits.
Just a few months after beginning construction, Ann Garbeau announced the opening of the Bath House, just in time before the worst of winter settled into Maddock. The water is boasted as hot and fills right into the bathtub using a contraption that the Water Engineer Zamir installed. A dollar for a bath? Most miners see that sign and turn away, the bathhouse presence is likely to 'clean up' Maddock for some time to come.
New players on the grid during this time include:
Blue Hawk, Dally, John, Emma, Jack, Katherine, James, Mark LePage, Lonsdale, Kathrine, Bob , Austin, Juno, Marie, Louis, Pete, Ilya, Cullen, Lando, Jefferson, Pecate, Walters, Harland and Nolan.
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