Show ITT li ju ld r ir e m u v ir boc 0 0 george agnew chamberlain by george agnew chamberlain service SYNOPSIS joyce sewell on the eve of her twentieth birthday rebels inwardly at her lot dependent on her detested stepmother irma and full of tragic memories of her mothers mother murder twelve years before and her f fathers a abers death six months ago irma calls in helm blackadder an admirer to help her persuade joyce to marry rich young michael mchael kirkpatrick CHAPTER I 1 continued joyce started toward a chair but stopped no it if we are going to have one of our reasonable talks id rather stand that means ill have to stand too said blackadder sensing he faced a wise and clever fighter it d leave me a choice does it not if you feel you have to stay joyce cried mrs sewell sharply Y how can you be rude to mr blackadder a man twice your age and my oldest friend 1 I trying to be rude said joyce coolly 1 I was wondering why hes here tod 1 ive I ve told you because hes my oldest and almost my only friend we were vere boy and girl together and it I 1 cant turn to him in my trouble I 1 can appeal to nobody yo your ur trouble exclaimed joyce if only leave me alone let me go my own way you have a thing in the world to worry about just lt it I 1 cant I 1 cant stand aside and watch you ruin your life it be right I 1 can ten tell you to your face here before mr air blackadder if isyou you dont take michael kirkpatrick while you still have the chance regret it the rest of f yu your r life so its narrowed down to mike has it said joyce how did you come to pick on him As if she were resigning the floor mrs sewell made a gesture toward blackadder strangely uneasy he straightened and braced his elbows on the mantel he leveled his eyes at her taking her measure lets see it if I 1 can talk your language do you mind listening till we find out no ill listen youre young joyce and youre up against a tough situation you dont dont like your stepmother well theres nothing we can do about that likes and dislikes dont go by favor or obligation they hang on two spanish words easy to understand der stand hard to translate and anti patica right yes said joyce amazed at the boldness of his attack and startled by his idiomatic use of a language she thought she alone in Elsin boro knew the yoke of living on irma has been galling you till all you can think of is escape the first thing you picked on was to be a teacher but you found out it enough to know your subject youve got to have a string of silly letters after your name so you thought be a stenographer and look for a firm engaged in foreign trade unfortunately youre unfitted for business be an absolute flop why because youre emotional and a thoroughbred the first time you found yourself the mechanical link in a gyp game walk out then left asked joyce dismally as much of herself as of him were coming to that said blackadder sharply perceiving he had shaken her his head bead moved forward between his shoulders and his eyes grew beady you dont like irma but youve lived on her since you were eight years old ashes given you everything youve had shelter food raiment and care and youve never paid tor for any of it in love or in cash oh gasped joyce wincing under the sting sling of a lash she had used on herself again and again how could I 1 you know I 1 have nothing nothing not so said blackadder shooting the words at her you have plenty it if you take it to the right market lets get down to bedrock do you dislike mike any more than you do your stepmother do you nol no said joyce then why not live on him for a while where you can pay ten tor for one watching her sink into a chair as if he had knocked her knees from under her he felt a curious elation ile he had beaten her it had been a hard fight but he had won out this way out that helm suggests said mrs sewell this thing ive been begging you to do you dont think its tor for me do you its tor for you tor for your youl 0 own good rene were older than you are we can an see back as well as abeam ahead cant you believe us cant you see its your bo aptt vt chance for happiness happiness breathed joyce 1 I suppose every girl has her dream of happiness then her low voice began to grow in volume and intensity 1 I know I 1 have mine and its a drean of 0 giving not taking I 1 dont mean giving things money food clothes because love grow out of things even it if you try your best to make it it it wont I 1 mean giving something inside you that aches to be given and aldand and 1 I know dear interrupted mrs sewell soothingly but believe me feel all that it youn only just oh youre horrible cried joyce desperately 1 I wish I 1 told you do you think im blind you want to be rid ot of me both of you all right I 1 give in I 1 promise it if it mike alike it will be something else some other way I 1 promise she was gone from the room before either cither of them could answer CHAPTER 11 II her departure left Blac blackadder blackard kadd er breathless and somewhat confused cont used he continued to stand with his back to the mantel staring at her as if her hurrying figure were still in sight filling his eyes and he had thought she was licked he became aware of irmas murmuring voice you were wonderful helm but I 1 knew you would be I 1 was sure of it the minute I 1 thought of you the load began to lift off my shou shoulders iders and now whatever happens its 40 16 A t az 1 aft J 0 C ii w aj fi oan 1 1 R mcf t f A pungent odor of ass age old raper paper gone but levs lets forget trouble I 1 cant ten tell you what it means to me to see you standing there like a pillar giving sense and reason to everything ery thing in the room including me she smiled up at him expectantly ilis his lips parted but it was ordained the maid should enter then its mr air kirkpatrick maam the young man entered flamboyant as to hair complexion manner and clothes michael you know mr air blackadder dont you sure thing said mike holding out his hand blackadder beat him to the grip gri P and almost crushed his knuckles then let go too quickly for a comeback mrs sewell came to the res cue you can go right up michael find joyce in her sitting room I 1 I 1 wish you luck something in the manner of her final words made kirkpatrick glance at her curiously he nodded a and rid started for the back where a side staircase supplemented the one in the main hall arriving at joyces joycea door he knocked softly pretended he heard an answering call turned the knob and stepped in joyce was on her knees before the petaca pataca in the act of fitting a clumsy key into the homemade lock where did you find the ellis island trunk he asked jovially she turned her head and stared up at him out of unbelieving eyes it was my fathers she answered automatically then she rose holding tight to the key and stood at her full height beight what are you doing here she dema demanded who told you you could come in he backed against the door until the latch clicked shut you did I 1 knocked and I 1 thought I 1 heard beard you say come in you were mistaken please go aw get oft off the horse joycie cant you you talk from the floor for once in your life abruptly her frown deepened did they send tor for you who 1 mr air blackadder and my stepmother they did not I 1 brought myself then take yourself away the rush joycle joycie now im here listen lets have a showdown ive told you over and over again I 1 can give you a lot of 0 things and so can you me but ive done all the crawlin crawling ingoing Im going to do besides ive ju just st had a tip I 1 may not know books like some of your rah rah friends but I 1 can see out of both c cs so im asking you for the last time will you marry me or wont you 1 I wont now or ever he stepped toward her his fingers itching but his eyes frightened and wet abruptly he stopped why he know she had not moved she stood with the big key held tightly in her right hand as though it were a dagger pressed against her dark dress dres her er list seemed small and white yet powerful she had brought him to a halt with only a look a look of loathing beyond words lie he turned tore open the door and rushed from the room joyce knelt on the floor then bent over the little rawhide trunk turned the key and raised the lid A pungent odor of age old paper rust leather and rotting tape greeted her nostrils her fathers last years had left her memory of a weakling a lovable weakling now immersed immers ed in his fervent letters and shocked by the impe impersonal rhonal frigidity of the replies they had evoked she saw him in his true proportions as a martyr burned at the stake slowly day after day month after month yet uttering no cry unshed tears stung in her eyes blinding her anger at injustice mounted into rage and rage into the incandescent heat that tempers steel to a cutting edge he had left no son to avenge his wrongs only a girl she dug her nails into th the e palms of her hands some day somehow she would find a way again there came a knock at her door a hesitant knock quite unlike her stepmothers who is it she whispered hoarsely its me miss joyce answered the maids voice ive brought you a letter and a bit of supper thanks ellen but I 1 dont want a thing to eat please slip the letter under the door it was long and without a stamp probably a circular her inclination was to let it lie but abruptly she was seized by its similarity to a dozen envelopes in the petaca pataca all bearing the penalty for private u use se formula A pale yellow slip fluttered to the floor as she tore open the official envelope and unfolded the letter within she read it at a glance then again slowly word by word at the instance of the mexican ambassador who has deposited the necessary funds I 1 beg to enclose a warrant on the treasury of the united states for compensation pensa tion in full for the death of ann burden swell sewell your endorsement will be sufficient receipt she caught up the pale yellow slip sitting cross legged she stared and stared at it for it looked like no check she had ever seen yet its purport was unmistakable the treasury of the united states held at her disposal the finger of fate was upon n her if this amazing windfall had come an hour sooner she might have signed it over to her stepmother flung it at her with actual joy in payment tor for back rent and board but not now no not now she put her arms around the petaca pataca pressed her cheek against its arabesques of brass tacks and bowed her head as if she were mating making a vow presently she went to bed but lay awake tor for a long time dreaming planning then floating off into a restful haze midway between sleep and consciousness in the morning she was up early she drank her coffee with eyes on the clock and shortly after n nine ine i was being sho shown A n into the private vate office of the president of the ci city ty national bank toward the last mr bradley had been her fathers only remaining friend its joyce she reminded him joyce sewell why of coursel how youve grown my dear youre lovely i mr air bradley are bankers like doctors lawyers and priests I 1 mean are they bound to keep a secret if you ask them to they are and they arent A court order can open wide out oui mouths and our vaults but short ol of that were bound to respect our clients wishes why have you a secret you want to deposit yes oh yes he leaned toward her and asked in a whisper Is it about the check tor for ten thousand she sank back her eyes wide the color draining from her cheeks he patted he her knee reassuringly and chuckled there there that was a mean trick nobody knows but me my dear it was I 1 who supplied your name and address ohl breathed joyce please dont ever do a thing like that to me again youre safe I 1 doubt whether ill ever have any other chance but why the secrecy because im going away and I 1 dont want anybody to k n 0 w where she leaned forward mr air bradley you know my fathers sto ry dont you no man knows it better and that thai goes for his onetime one time lawyers 1 I learned it last night said joyce 1 I read every letter every paper every deed back to the nal grant from the king of spain Is there any doubt la barranca be longed to my father none whatever he had as clear a title as I 1 have to my hat or ma m coat or anything else ive paid for in cosh cash then its mine now 1 I wish I 1 could answer no to that but I 1 cant have you a conscience mr air bradley she asked soberly me ale he exclaimed puzzled puzzle d anc astonished 1 I was wondering whether WE its ever right to to take your con science and choke it his eyes twinkled violently but he did not laugh 1 I see your conscience been telling you t to d do u 9 give this money to my step mother what for well for all ashes done keeping me a all 11 these years mr air Br adleys eyes shone with a strange and increasing fire chos been stuffing your head with that he demanded anyway let me straight in the first place step parents are required by law to do been done for you its an integral part of their or original igina bargain in the second irmas kindness ruined your father by keeping him from going to work in the third since ashes a do good to others addict ashes had her mon eys ays worth out of the two of you ten times over thank you she murmured you dont know what youve done for me now I 1 can do what ive been planning I 1 can go where to joyce she looked at him steadfastly all ali those years my father stayed here mr air bradley but la barranca here its in mexico im going to mexico joyce laid the warrant already endorsed on mr air Br adleys desk and rose im leaving the money with you but you understand I 1 may need a great deal of it any day dont you sit down joyce he said soberly do you know what ive been asking myself no sir said joyce sinking to the edge of her chair if I 1 had a girl your age your looks y your 0 u r background what would I 1 want some other fellow to do in this particular case he frowned of course you remember mexico but do you remember what happened TO BE CONTINUED |