The Golden Perch Inn

[Bom Tombadillo]

Hamwill spoke eagerly to the angry hobbit, saying "Well, Brandy Hall itself for one. As I said, I was only there for a short time, and I'm interested in -" He paused, having finally noticed the hobbit's obvious frustration and confusion and mistaken it for constipation.

"Are you entirely all right, Mister Al - um - I seem to have quite forgotten your name . . ." he continued with an expression of deep confusion. "Well, I've gotten off course. As I meant to say, are you all right?"

[Galadriel55]

Al was too busy being mad to pay much attention at first to what the man was saying. Suddenly, Hamwill stopped short in the middle of a sentence, which jerked Al back to his attention. "Are you entirely all right, Mister Al… um… I seem to have quite forgotten your name… " The man said. Oh, how rude! Don’t they ever learn anything?! To forget my name, when I said it twice just a minute ago! And… wait, he said if I’m all right? I’m all right?

“Now, see there, mister, you’re the one who isn’t all r…” All begun to say, when the first part of the man’s rather short speech registered in his head. Well, why didn’t he say so right away? He could have told me that he’s interested in my town! That’s what he’s probably searching for – the most perfect town in the Shire, because he wants to move here from Bree (like all sensible people should)! He should nave spent more time at the Brandy Hall, because it is the only possible option. I mean, where else? Al didn’t notice that he opened and closed his mouth several times while his brain was slowly catching on. Hamwill stared at him as if his nose fell off, but Al wasn’t aware of it.

“Brandy Hall! Why, it’s the most bestest place you’ll find anywhere! I mean, what else could you expect from such a splendid place? Like Larry said – he’s my third cousin once removed, by the way, - so he says ‘where you live is what you are, and what you are is where you live’, you can see this right away with Brandy Hall. And my great-uncle Brisso also says this. Did I tell you Larry is my third cousin? Well, he’s also my second cousin, but either way once removed. You see, we are related from both my mother’s and my father’s side, And his brother Jack too – oh, me and Jacky used to have so much fun together! Well, Jacky’s what we call’im, his real name’s Jack, but anyways, few years back we went swimming down the River, and his leg caught on some very long seaweed, but I kept…”

“No, no, please!” the man cut across Al’s monolog, “That’s not what I meant!” Al couldn’t tell if he was annoyed with him or not.

[Bom Tombadillo]

Hamwill seemed to have at last comprehended the hobbit's irritation towards him with the comment he had just made. "Now see there, mister, you're the one who isn't all r . . ." the hobbit's comment trailed off and Hamwill stared at him for several moments before he launched into his rapidly delivered speech, then cut him off in mid-sentence. He immediately regretted it, but his mouth carried on.

"That's not what I meant, and if you don't wish to speak with me, then have out with it! And if you do, then slow down and don't ramble so much!" At this Hamwill feared the trouble that his overly eager mouth had gotten him into; he acted contrite, saying "Er, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude . . . "

[piosenniel]

Penny

My goodness! thought Penny, watching the little scene play out between the man she’d loaned her little stick of charcoal to and the Hobbit fellow who seemed, at least in her thought, to be a bit prickly . . . and loud!

‘I don’t know about you, Mr. Burrower,’ she whispered quietly across the table to the old gaffer. ‘But things seem to be getting a bit unsettled around here.’ She nodded toward the man and the Hobbit. ‘I think I’ll just go find my Auntie Iris and see if she needs any help.

Penny pushed her chair away from the table as unobtrusively as she could and made her way to the kitchen. A stocky built Hobbit fellow came through the door, nearly knocking her down as she hurried through the entryway. ‘Scuse me,’ she said, easing her way around him.

And there was Aunt Iris, standing in the middle of the kitchen, frowning . . .

[Galadriel55]

Al didn’t think that the explanation that the man gave him was a good reason to interrupt the story. At least he apologized for it! Maybe he does have some common sense! Al’s expression of fury and anger melted into a kind smile in the matter of seconds.

“Don’t worry about it, Master Hamwill! Forgive and forget, as my muther used to say about-” Al caught himself just in time, because his mother used to say this about the Big Folk, who just don’t have any common sense to guide them. “…Er, about some, um, accidents! Yes, accidents it is! Well, if you want me to tell you something different, could you please be more specific about what you want to hear?”

[Undómë]

Rowan kept a wary eye on the Hobbit and the man, fearing at first that tempers, or at least the temper of the Hobbit, would flare up and there would be some sort of commotion. ‘Hmmmph!’ she mumbled under her breath. And just who would have to clean up after them! she thought to herself. ‘Me and Prim!’ she said aloud in a quite exasperated manner. She noted a number of those sitting near her now looked her way with questioning frowns on their faces.

Rowan busied herself piling up dishes and cups from those who had eaten and ignoring the curious lookers on she hurried toward the kitchen…only to find some strange, older Hobbit lady standing in the middle of the kitchen and the new younger Hobbit miss, the one about her age, looking at the older lady as if she, too, were wondering what was going on in here.

‘May I help you?’ she asked, setting her load of dirty dishes on the counter near the sink. ‘I’m Rowan, Rowan Muddifoot. One of the servers here at the Perch. Is there something I can do or get for you?’ She looked inquiringly from the young Hobbit to the older.