OCR Text |
Show By GeorgeA3newaberlain SYNOPSIS ,11 "TlTthTTve of her hven-.1 hven-.1 reb"l Inwardly at her lot. ' h,-r detested stepmother. :l n( tragic memories of her i'JlulL, twelve vears before and ifdr h ss months aso Irma ;L i, Blackadder. an admirer. ;BoW . Jovce to marry ? ""mSi Kirkpatrlek. Mike. bvlni and Black-10 Black-10 h a showdown on his pro- '"J ected Reading her fath-Jorte fath-Jorte realizes that La Bar-Mexican Bar-Mexican hacienda which her o'wned. lall.v belongs to her. Reives a letter enelosms a Thf United States Treasury Ration for her moth-: moth-: t a U Barranca. She con-'-.Ir Bradley, a banker and friend of her father s. 4 that she wants to make a 'jesroey to Mexico. CHAPTER n Continued 3 .,-jt staring at the floor, not , at once. "I know what she said finally, "and 1, J, exolain. I remember ev-but ev-but I've found out that be- away from a thing like that Tibdo you to forget it makes a picture on the wall. Then something else. Places go c'rlrasts, don't they? I won't 'fining about Elsinboro; all all you is that when I've been Tr'jy, when I'm most miserable, riack and dream of happiness La B3rranca." She swept her to his face. "My mother isn't -: Mr. Bradley. I mean she "it possibly come to Elsinboro !-7even in my thoughts. Does :!:ar.d foolish to you?" K foolish, my dear," he mur-:ii mur-:ii "not at all foolish." ;::ched by his understanding she ::;) out one hand impulsively : laid it on his arm. "Oh, Mr. ey, please be my friend. You help me so much! My passport, :::er of credit, but that's not all. . knew my stepmother. Father ri to keep telling me she's a good -a. Well, she is, but if she j cut what I'm doing or where l-. I'll have two fights on my ; instead of one." Hjw are you going to work it? I mill you get away?" Tve thought it all out. I can I'm going to Frances Holder's ' a visit." Tm. But they'll trace you. Now-.:;s Now-.:;s a deliberate disappearance :e of the hardest things on earth :i;ge." Tve thought of that too." She him a look so composed it j '' blood to tingling. "If I go J ?;ir, where will I be by the time i ;5 begin their tracing? " j a blinked at her admiringly. I've made up my mind. Jo everything I can to help you : I promise I'll keep my mouth ' shut till you say the word." the same impulse they rose ieir feet and stood with right ;i half extended, not quite :'-ig. "You're awfully young, ''A and most people would say iM to be jailed for letting you But you've got heart as well fed. and as for youth what's ; - To spend while it's strong." a proved as good as his word ; ; l belter, for he could see a lot :.et ahead than Joyce. Within :ys n" only did he arrange passport for travel abroad -Icome direct from the State :ri"ient rather than through the ! county clerk, but he coached ;iner deportment in the mean-! mean-! - toward her stepmother, pro-with pro-with a certified copy of a'"w's will, warned her about ;",e baggage and bought her '.'.f y air in a fictitious name. without detection, she .'.; a Plane at Elsinboro's al-. al-. .. !f rted airport that connect-l connect-l wark with a night plane CHAPTER III I'' Va" Suttart, second secre-' secre-' embassy, would have ,t greater advantage in any e'E ,lnS- The traditions of an Ca!?,eWere behind him- he "ian his share of good '',,, reasonable amount of .,' "amerry eye. Away from ;. e was as clean-cut a young t. n sever drew breath, but ; bv .KWalt0 being spoiled' 4 ' :! bee blle ot the diP'- ,. Vol aenEa,ged in '"ting the !'on,tu00 mallet vvhe the ;n th h ,Uered' laid Joyce's t'al Sk and lingered to ove feUe' read the V he want?" V'non Jhi"g- shd like to .jl ;...f! "'he chief." '','Jta.?,tfvStin8the stick' Put i? chair ClEet' went 10 t ;ch and rummaged for . ';,; p A set. You can show 'ef X IT"1 Jo stood be-' be-' it52ly torPOrUSCd the disPtch ' tioned u moment longer, )j ;e desk t0 a cllair be" 7 lou s't do-Am, Miss sew- ?e hesitatec v . 'lor a, Yu re not the a'e you?" "Hardly. . I'm the second secretary." secre-tary." "I wanted to see the ambassador." ambassa-dor." "Are you an American?" "Yes; born of American parents residing abroad. I arrived from the States last night Do you wish to see my passport?" "That's not necessary at present. I suggest you state your business! If it's something I can't handle or if it's important enough an appointment ap-pointment will be made for you with his excellency." Joyce sat down without taking her eyes off him. She was puzzled. Here was a young man, the very antithesis anti-thesis of Mike Kirkpatrick in looks, manner and breeding, yet all she felt was bitter disappointment. Why? Suddenly the answer swept over her. She was face to face with the mask that had defeated her father immature, perhaps, its veneer not yet solidified, but the same unfeeling mask. "What's your name?" she asked. "Dirk Van Suttart," he replied, betrayed by the suddenness of the question. A glint lit in his eye and color rose to his cheeks, but he quickly controlled his anger and raised one eyebrow. "Really, Miss Sewell, while you requested a personal per-sonal interview I didn't realize you were contemplating an exchange of confidences." "I like to know to whom I am talking." said Joyce coolly. "I think you'll find my business is quite personal. per-sonal. I'm the daughter and sole I Anger Surged in Her Veins. heir of the late Cutler Sewell and there's a file in this office under his name. I wish to know my rights. Am I entitled to have copies of the dispatches, or to examine them, or to be given a resume, or if all that is impossible can I be informed of the last step in the negotiation?" Ey this time both Van Suttart's eyebrows were raised to the limit. "No copy of any dispatch can be given to anybody," he declared, "except by specific direction of the Department of State, and the same restriction applies to the balance of your question. May I ask to what this file refers?" "To my father's property in this country." "I thought so. Miss Sewell, Americans Amer-icans abroad suffer from an unfortunate unfor-tunate delusion which you seem to share that the foreign service is maintained for their individual convenience. con-venience. It isn't. It was created for the benefit of the United States as a whole and of the taxpayers at home who foot the bills. Haven't you heard of the Mexican claims commission com-mission in Washington?" "I have." "That, my dear young lady, is where you should file your petition. "I did, through my. father, when I was eight years old. I'm not eight now, Mr. Van Suttart. though you seem to think so. The Mexican claims commission has been sitting for a great many years considering claims amounting to 5250,000,000. Has it settled a single case? "I'm not at liberty to say. "You mean you don't know? I U tell you, it hasn't-not one. "Miss Sewell, this conversation is getting us nowhere. May I say ir conclusion that I've given you ai the advice-the only which you are entitled? The embassy embas-sy can do nothing to help you-noU-ing whatever." .,, I "Help'" exclaimed Joyce. ! didn't come here for help; I askec I for certain information. A y sure you have the authority to re stood'tiP to find her knee, were trembling. She had been d missed, told to leave! Ange su.e in her veins-anger against som . implacable force outside herself Van Suttart. She became a flam . and suddenly its beauty cut throue j to his inner consciousness. half daze he was telling himself that if he had met this girl at a cocktail party instead of in the course of official offi-cial business he would have crashed through to her side and stayed there. But he was too late, the polished pol-ished shell he wore had held out too long. ' Van Suttart," said Joyce your imagining I came to you for help has its funny side. Aren't you ever puzzled as to why you're alive why you draw down pay? A canary ca-nary in his gilded cage earns his keep with song, but a popinjay can't even sing." She was gone before he could wipe the look of amazement from his face, much less answer. She hurried to the hotel where she was living, paid her bill and asked that her baggage be brought down. At sight of the petaca there were supercilious glances from the tourists, the clerk and even the porter, por-ter, but not from the taxi driver; again the little native trunk served her well. He did not bother to lie about the fare and even understood her quest for the best hotel unfrequented unfre-quented by foreigners. Unhesitatingly Unhesitat-ingly he drove her to an establishment establish-ment in a back street but near the center of town. The proprietor greeted her in soft Castilian and took the trouble to accompany her himself to a top-floor room. "Can you recommend a woman lawyer?" she asked. "I know of one, but she's a Mexican." Mexi-can." "I prefer a Mexican," said Joyce. "Will you give me her name and address?" He took out his card, scribbled on it, and handed it to her. "She's a difficult person," he remarked, "but an excellent lawyer." Joyce decided to waste no time in telephoning for an appointment, but she did stop long enough to unpack un-pack her bag and hang up her clothes. As her rage at Van Suttart Sut-tart began to cool she wondered at it and felt a little ashamed. Probably Prob-ably that manner of his had got him his job, perhaps he was paid to make people feel exactly as she had felt. She opened the petaca, sorted out the documents she thought she would need and made her way on foot to the lawyer's address. It was a strange, old-fashioned building build-ing with a long dark narrow hall which opened suddenly upon a big square well surrounded by balconies and roofed by the sky. There was an elevator but no attendant. Rather Rath-er than attempt to work the mechanism mech-anism herself she walked up two flights and located a door upon which was inscribed: Lie. Marga-rida Marga-rida Fonseca. She knocked; there was no answer. an-swer. She opened the door, stepped into an empty anteroom and coughed. The door into a room beyond be-yond was open. She passed through it and stopped short. On the farther side of a littered desk, leaning back and apparently absorbed in staring through the thick wall at some vision vi-sion far away, sat a woman whose appearance could be described only as leonine. One glance was enough to make her speak in English. "What do you want?" "A lawyer," said Joyce. "What for? What about?" "May I sit down?" "No! What about?" "An estate." "Whose?" "Mine. I have the documents here proving absolute title if you'll only take the trouble to look at them." "No use. You're wasting my time Don't waste yours or your money by going to any other lawyer. law-yer. I give you that advice for noth- '""What is your time worth?" asked Joyce switching into Spanish. I like you. How much would you charge to let me sit and look at you for half an hour?" Margarida Fonseca swung around in her swivel chair, planted her elbows el-bows on the desk, her fists in her cheeks, and stared. "Cara'o! Hab-las Hab-las Castillano, gringuita! So, we talk Spanish! Who are you?" "My name is Joyce Sewell. I'm the daughter of Cutler Sewell who owned " "Tst! Tst! Nobody owns anything. You possess, you don't own." "Oh, but I do," protested Joyce, "I can prove it." She advanced, sat down on the edge of a chair and laid her documents on the desk. "Pleas.e let me show you." "It's no use, my child. I've told you the truth and the whole truth. Incidentally I don't like Americans, but let me give you something else for nothing. Get out. Go back to your own country before somebody makes one bite of your pretty head." Joyce stood up and buried her grave blue eyes in Margarida's black ones. "I'll get out, but I won't go back. I was wrong about you. I may not find a lawyer with more brains, but I'll get one who isn't a coward." She snatched up her precious documents, turned quickly and started toward the door. "Stop!" yelled Margarida. "Nobody "No-body can say that to me! Come back and sit down. Give me the papers" She took them, spread them out but kept her puzzled eyes fixed on Joyce. Abruptly she smiled. "I thought you were out to make a play on the tender female heart but I've changed my mind. Have you any money?" "How much?" "Ten thousand dollars." "Really! You're loose in Mexico at your age with $10,000! We'll see the papers." She glanced over them swiftly with odd jerks of her nose as if she were a parrot tearing the meat out of one nut after another. "Why didn't you tell me it was La Barranca?" she asked of the blue sky. "You didn't give me a chance," said Joyce. Margarida turned. "I think I've found a way. It has nothing whatever what-ever to do with the courts. Come back in a week." "That won't do," said Joyce, "it won't do at all!" "Why not?" "Because a week is too long!" "You have courage, little one. Since you don't do your fighting with tears we'll go hunting together. Fortunately I care nothing what happens to you nothing at all. Is that clearly understood?" "Don't worry," said Joyce. "Show me the road and I'll look out for myself." Margarida scooped up the papers, crammed a hat on her head, showed the way out and slammed the door behind them. A moment later they were in a taxi which scurried along interminable back streets to draw up in exactly 15 minutes at the residence resi-dence of Gen. Zacharias Onelia, right-hand man to the minister of war. "General, it is very good of you to receive us," said Margarida. "Do you mind taking a look at this young lady before she goes out to walk around the patio while you and I have a talk? She has a peculiar value, General." "To me?" "Especially to you," said Margarida Marga-rida and turned to Joyce. "Suppose "Sup-pose you go out, chica, and stay out till you're called!" As soon as Joyce had gone Margarida leaned toward Onelia and continued in a low voice. "General, this is a momentous mo-mentous business, far deeper than may appear at first glance. The young lady, Miss Joyce Sewell, is undoubtedly the lawful owner of hacienda ha-cienda La Barranca." (TO BE COXTlSUn) |