Show 17 vt byi 7 ta sti cas s t p richard mcfarlane who disappeared laring the first world wt war leaving his bit wife silt julia joua and two children suddenly ud denly returns as years year later and denti fles him blim leu as ai captain bt mackey ackey stationed tation ed at sio same lame camp us its h hl Is son on ric serving ervan a world war 11 II ric has ha become in holved with sandra ca calvert ivert a divorcee ho captain mackey knew at one time as B threatens her but she he marries marrie ric anyway arriving at julias julia farm arm to live with her she startles julia by rec recognize PS mg a picture of richard as ai that ot of captain mackey when julia toe oc 2 t to 0 a freater with dave patterson Pat tenon a fa family all y mend sandra and jill julia daugh far er become engaged encased in a vehement argument CHAPTER you understand ricky though hes so sensitive and y you ou aren arent a complex person at all you know jiu jill youre prim primitive etive really you are in your element here on a farm odd that two PC people 0 could be so en entirely different as 83 you and ricky im such a primitive that I 1 teamed to teu tell the truth very early and ric never bothered he went in for or the more esthetic angles he thought living excitingly was more important than keeping his word or choosing high minded people lor for friends ri ends or anything like that 1 I suppose intended lor for a dig sandra said but its quite all 11 right it worry me at all ricky told me that you would probably hate me how stupid of him to think that id bo bother therl jill drawled why should anything you do matter to me sandra or anything that I 1 do concern you were separate people we can live our lives without getting emotional one way or the other only dont put on an act with me sandra its no good and leave my mother alone Doo leys not like me she know how to take care of herself herjeu 1 I rather like your mother sandra said languidly id never want to do anything to hurt her it if I 1 could help it what mat do you mean it if you can help it demanded jill hotly better make an effort to help it mrs richard mcfarlane sandra got up and strolled over to the dressing table picked up the framed photograph that stood there the picture of a blue eyed officer in an old fashioned wide brimmed campaign hat Is this a relative she asked with studied casualness my father jill did not look at her bics father too he died in france in the last war oh yes ricky told me he looks look s so like an old friend of my first husbands that the resemblance Is really startling she studied the picture and her lips curved greedily ily she licked them slyly like a cat and her eyelids narrowed a speculative look growing behind them she put the frame down shrugged a little your father was very handsome jill but he reminds me so much of 0 that man I 1 detest that I 1 wont look at him any more odd that two people should be so alike it not terribly odd we only have a few features they help putting a few similar combinations together by the way jill sandra paused in the door 1 I discussed the future with your mother I 1 really dread having to do it but I 1 do have to know ahead of us dont I 1 jiu jill stood up stiffening what has 1123 my mother to do with head of you she asked but naturally she has everything to do with lit ill dont you think it would be better if you talked to her about it jill talked to her about what what future do you mean you knew that ric would be gone perhaps for years you knew that when you married him but just it I 1 did marry him I 1 am wife and because im his wife I 1 do have to be concerned about our future ricky has rights that have to be considered si rights jill repeated curtly of course he has rights the right to get the best out of life that he can when the war Is over but my mother has nothing to do with that bics problem A request for bics rights like to see him pushed out you like to keep everything for yourself youve been digging yourself in you building yourself up as such a dutiful daughter playing ric down with those sly sidelong digs awfully clever but I 1 think I 1 know something that you dont know miss jill lanel its merely a hunch I 1 have but my hunches have a way of coming through and my advice to you is to change your antics and quick jill looked at her her eyes Us like ice better put it in words of otie one syllable sandra she said coldly cold y being a primitive im ri no good rod at puzzles I 1 think you know how to speak alii plainly aly it if you want to do it I 1 think you ou know a lot of very plain words indeed sandra threw back her head bead 1 I do know the plain w words only plain words would do for or you you sm smug ug self satisfied little snob I 1 want ten thousand dol dollars lars Is that plain enough and I 1 mean to have it show you youve ve oh I 1 know this smart au all been putting on I 1 saw through it instantly youre all a 11 so poor and you work in cornfields corn fields an and d wear overalls and eat cabbage and grits like white trash and put your of that fooled me cars up but none for a minute rick ricky y has a right to his share Q and im going to have it jilts eyes were amber flames so blackmail Is one ol of your special arts too is it I 1 thought as much she said slowly 1 I suppose poor RIC has done something foolish the poor deluded sap and now youve got hold ot of it and want to hold bold it over my mothers head because youve seen how she adores ric well it wont work sandra it 9 simply imply wont work bics been in jams before and my mother is more or less resigned to anything that comes now ashes given up expecting anything from ric except disappointment i fite 1 I want ten thousand dollars sandra pressed herself a against the door her mouth twisted to one side her eyes guarded 1 I dont like scenes she sald said loftily 1 I hope it wont be necessary for me to say or do anything unpleasant I 1 dont want to hurt your mother I 1 merely want my rights tights rights and I 1 mean to have them anything you say is entirely unimportant you can speak about this to your mother or not lust just as you please 1 I shall certainly not speak to her about jill snapped and it you plan any chiseling chi I 1 shall do all I 1 can to defeat you youve been made welcome here youre bics wife and on his account ill treat you as bics wife should be treated but ill appreciate it right now if get out of my sight I 1 still like to believe that im a lady but when youre around sandra I 1 have difficulty remembering it mackey and jill meet A again 0 ain im going with plea pleasure surel sandra bit the words off like lengths of red hot wire but im going to have ten thousand dollars im going to have it right awall do you think I 1 was fool enough to marry into this family without knowing what prospects were im no child ive taken care of myself for a long lone time I 1 know how haw to go on doing it 1 I got ten thousand dollars and my mother g got ot it and ashes not going to sacrifice anything to get it not for you sandra mcfarlane very well said sandra evenly 1 I see I 1 shall have to speak to her about it myself you dare to do you dare to make my mother unhappy you darel dare ill throw you out of the house myself get out of my room get out get outi the door clapped angrily as sandra slammed it her hands trembling her body like ice but her face ace and eyes blazing jill stood still tor for a minute glaring shuddering all over with the fierce anger that shook her she was still trembling all over when the door opened a cautious crack and old john 1 I thrust his head in his thin hair disordered his mustache quivering like an inquisitive antenna broke he whispered jill got herself in hand band with a little difficulty 1 I got mad john I 1 she said hoarsely 1 I yelled like a like a like a mcfarlane supplied d her grandfather helpfully 1 I heard you what were you yelling about sandra made me wants money she ia uye st bics share low how could count a share now while bolh aloth I 1 got furious I 1 wish nishn it er is j teel feel un unsure sure ot or myself did im sorry it if I 1 waked john 1 I 11 1 I asleep so gg 4 A money does she will m out it if she gets ecta it p ad 1 I dont know but vague threats li 11 she didat t she said she knew w sord bom I 1 t know something that jk make mother tax 1 r I 1 hew flew at her I jill JIB saw her grand grandfather fathe move past her uneasily fr j ment focus on the dresser then his U straight and his big eyes na kanj little without a word be her out of the room car door slam down be f she snatched up her robee robe aai j aled into it and flew down ile dooley had come and an d dooh not know she had to gt get h ley before sandra did she flung open the scree and stood framed in the V f wrinkled green sm silk and t y hair and eyes like black tl tc a face as white as chalk and so it was that ricly farlane standing there lai light saw his daughter jul jill drew back startled si oh I 1 and pulled her flying 11 i around her then she g c breath a little and said baldt corryl you startled me I 1 expecting my mother acci tain mackey arent you I 1 id it her ber I 1 saw you at ridley he came into the room t at the light he looked i a odd jill thought there vu rj same bewildered look in li 1 that same curious lii though he were thinking baj bad trying to remember hurt he held out his baci liace 1 I remember he said it jo julia arent you you wat rai young gordon down at ti KI im jill nobody ever haj hue me jul julia a wont you sit sitio dow tain mackey you canic came t mother did you im sorry i out lust just now but she should bf soon will you wait he stood turning his cap r in his bis hands 1 I came he be said to lot brothers wife the young ma ln farlane ashes here esnel i yes ashes here shall I 1 cal she went to bed I 1 think anything wrong is thet tain with ric I 1 mean 11 no theres nothing woy with your brother at least I 1 i have a message tor for your law but theres no special specia lt t about it will you sit down then heal sorry you find me in such dla but I 1 was tired and I 1 dietl like d dressing ing again after my t he took the chair she lal id he said youre very ut litt mother she had hair like I 1 remember oh yes jill said yoa an old friend of my in you you told sit forgotten she dropped on I 1 i and coaxed her thin garm ganahl cover her brown legs and aall her broken arm into a no coaick position but im more ut itter ther she went on he officer officer too I 1 was always that I 1 born bom a boy st so could be a soldier like my I 1 have a brother in the tit 0 but you know that ol of tc youve seen him down bif at E 1 I suppose 1 I may have seen him ha be f ed youve been hurt hakem what happened car get geram you no it was a horse I 1 wd her head cant I 1 get YOU thing to drink CaPt captain aill 1 I could use a drink ift tc r ather at her could I 1 come with willil 11 fix it myself 7 9 ot of course if 11 you like ike tt ways like to get into they jiu jill led him throdis 0 hall and the dining room ft switches as she went li seemed to be studying tte to as they passed through then them house Is very old she tate pushing the swing door baat bat waiting tor for him to precede it bd the warmth and peach pic icv grance of camies kitchen mothers grandfather built lih the civil war and the bricks burned here on the place tie the kitchen Is the same she was sliding the ice cute of the tray and she saw sav bico and reach tor for a glass a dered how bow be knew where to ID k but of course glasses were v the obvious place if be I 1 found one there hed have c another cupboard door say when she prompts prompt 1 she h e balanced the bottle novt 1 glass oh but I 1 should c pour your own awfully inexperienced at lad W a I 1 ot of thing captain you spoke spill L lieutenant leu tenant gordon yc you don di pe pen to know where he s 5 c you TO BE CONTINUE DI |