Chapter 10
I bet the suspense is killing you all, but fear not, this chapter will begin the secret after a little hand persuasion from Adam. I think you know what I mean.
Ben and Adam reached Carson City in record time, the weather allowing them a fairly quick journey. They went straight away to Jim Stanfield's hardware store and had the timber unloaded.
"Thanks, Ben," Jim said. "You've made good timing. My supplies were running low. We've had a wave of families coming to this area to settle and needing to buy some land and build a home."
"Yes," Ben agreed. "I've heard that people are travelling these parts, looking to settle on a piece of land."
"It should keep you and us in business for some time to come," Adam added.
"How long are you staying? Overnight?"
"No, not this time," Ben told Jim. "Left my youngest in charge."
"Ah." That was all that Jim needed to say in understanding. All three men chuckled.
"We will have a beer though, eh Pa, before we head home?" Adam questioned.
"Of course, and maybe something to eat. You go on over and order while I complete my business with Jim."
"Okay, Pa." Then addressing Jim, "Nice seeing you again Jim." Adam then shook hands with Jim and left. ….
Julie had reached her first resting place; the line shack where Adam first took her. It had taken her the best part of the day. It had been a very long trek on foot but she had made it. Gratefully she sat down on one of the two chairs in the shack and took her boots off. Heaven. She wondered if her 'escape' had been noticed yet. Had Joe and Hoss returned home yet. She suspected YES, they had. But confident that they probably wouldn't do anything about it until Adam and Ben got home. Hopefully, she thought, not until the next day. She knew she couldn't light a fire as it could alert someone of her whereabouts.
Her plan was to rest here the night and follow the markings on the map, early next morning, walking from line cabin to line cabin until she reached the end of the Ponderosa boundary. Her hope was that they would think she went to Virginia City and on from there. How wrong she was. ….
Ben and Adam arrived back at the Ponderosa later that afternoon, earlier than expected, to hear the latest news.
"When did you see her last?" Adam questioned Hoss and Joe.
"Just a little while after you left," Joe told him.
"Yeah. Joe, Julie and me was talkin' over the jobs we were to do today. Julie seemed happy with her tasks…"
Joe continued… "Painting the outhouse and cleaning the chicken pen. She said she was happy to have jobs close to home."
"I bet she was." Everyone could sense Adam's temper starting to boil.
"I thought she was happy here with us," Ben said.
"I believe she was Pa, but she had a nasty habit of always apologizing for putting us out and for the things we gave her, saying she didn't deserve them for all the trouble she was causing us," Adam pointed out.
"Okay, now," Ben announced. "There's nothing we can to right this minute. So lets eat our supper and ask Hop Sing to join us."
As they were sat drinking their coffee, more information came to light from Hop Sing.
"I not know Missy Julie wanted to go away when she asked me to make up two lunches for Mr Hoss and Mr Joe. She said she take them to where they work."
"Which, of course, we never got," Hoss moaned.
"After all sorted, I went to Virginia City for my spices and a family visit."
"So she's been lying to us all. Wait 'til I catch up with her. She'll then fine out what consequences there are for young ladies who lie to us. To me especially." Adam was taking this as an affront to him personally. "I've treated her with all respect and consideration and this is how she repays me. Well, she's not going to get away with it."
"Adam, son, calm down. You need a night's sleep after our journey and the news we've received. We'll discuss what's to be done, if anything, in the morning." "Oh, something will be done, I guarantee it."
"Adam, why don't you have a early night," Hoss, the peacemaker, kindly said.
"You're right, Hoss, as usual. I need solitude to think." He stood from the table. "Goodnight all." He then made his way up the stairs and to his room. ….
As Adam tried to relax, he took off his boots and laid down on his bed, his mind in a whirlpool. Questions, lots of questions. Why would she leave? Where did she go? No horse, so on foot. How far could she get? She obviously had food though, little vixen.
He couldn't rest, so he got up and paced. As he was doing this he noticed one of his desk drawers wasn't quite shut. Strange, he thought. On approaching the desk he saw a folded paper on his desk. Anxiously, he opened it up and read the letter:
My Dear Adam,
I know that you will be so disappointed in me for running away like this, but I truthfully had no choice. I could not stay with you any longer and my deceiving of you all, will haunt me for ever. I only hope that one day you will be able to forgive me, but not right now, I suspect. But I could not lead you and possibly your family into danger, and I'm sorry that I could not tell you of my problems. But I will tell you this, my real name is Alex, which I never use. Please keep this to yourself.
I really can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me. Not only for my recovery and the many things you gave me (which I have left behind, as I didn't have the heart to take them with me) but for your kindness and support that you gave me. I will think of you always. Please forget me and give yourself the satisfaction that you so generously did all that you could for me, who so ungratefully, received all.
With a thankful heart, from Julie.He read as he paced. The letter didn't help ease his anger. Then he remembered the desk drawer and opened it, looked at the small satchel he had in there. Curiosity won the day. He picked it up, opened it and looked through some of the maps he had made for his father. These were copies. But then his gut feeling was telling him that Julie had been in his room and so he looked at these maps.
"Trying to find somewhere to hide, madam?" he mumbled to himself. So he looked closely through each one and suddenly the answer was staring him in the face. He could see one map had indentations on it, like it had been traced over. It was the one with all the line shacks on it. "She traced this and there is only one line shack that she knows. That's where she'll be, at least for this one night." He realised that he was talking to himself, but he didn't care. "Where in the world was she planning to go from there?"
He hurriedly put his boots back on and rushed down the stairs, startling his family sitting around the fire.
"Eureka," he shouted. "I know where Julie has gone."
"Adam, I thought you'd gone to bed," Ben said, standing up.
"Where'd she go, Adam?" Hoss asked.
"Back to the line shack I took her to that first night."
"Okay," Ben agreed, not wanting to give Adam false hope at this time, "how did you come to this conclusion?"
"I don't want to get into a long discussion right now," he told them, as he walked across the room to fit his gun belt on then his hat and coat. "Time is of the essence."
"You're going right now"" Joe asked.
"Yep. She'll want to spend the night there and move on at first light. If I go now, I should make it well before morning."
"I'll come with you, Adam," Hoss offered.
"Not this time, Hoss. I don't want you stopping what's going to happen. It won't be a pretty reunion, but thanks for the offer. I'll just go saddle Sport and fill up a couple of canteens."
"Don't do anything rash, Adam. Make sure you calm down before you get there and I hope that she is there. Be considerate of her feelings and bring her back to us," Ben instructed.
"I won't, Pa. I will, Pa. I will, Pa, and yes," he informed Ben, as he walked out the door. But everyone knew what would befall Julie, if indeed Adam finds her there.
"I wonder what brought Adam to the idea of where Julie would be?" Joe thought out loud.
"We may never know," Ben said. …
Adam reached the line shack very early the next morning. It was still dark. He was a little worried he'd made the wrong decision to come out here, not seeing any smoke coming from the shack. He dismounted and made his way to
the door, opened it quietly and let himself in.
'How right I was,' he thought, as he walked over to the cot and watched Julie sleeping. He noticed too that all her things, (what there was) looked ready by the door, along with her food, for her early morning escape. 'Well not this morning', he whispered.
He made himself comfortable (if that were possible) in one of the chairs and rested, to wait for Julie to wake. ….
It was a little lighter now and Adam was awake and could see a little more around the room. 'Make coffee', he thought, 'and then if she's not awake by then, I'll wake her.'
The shack of course was now restocked, following his last visit, so fire logs and paper were there ready for him to start a fire, which in its turn caused some noise, which roused Julie from her sleep.
"Good morning," Adam said coldly.
Julie jumped up off the cot and faced him. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here? I thought you'd be pleased I was no longer a burden to you and your family," she quietly uttered as she could see Adam's angry face.
Adam said nothing but put the coffee and water in the pot and placed it on the stand over the fire.
"I can see you are angry with me and I'm sorry."
"You'll be a lot sorrier by the time I've finished with you," he said, taking a step towards her.
"Oh, and what does that mean?
"It means, you're about to go across my knee for a well deserved spanking if you don't tell me what is going on with you."
"You can't do that," she exclaimed.
"I can and I will, the choice is yours."
"No, Adam, I can't allow you to do that and no I can not draw you into my problems."
"Then let's waste no more time."
Julie immediately ran towards the door but Adam was too quick for her and caught her wrist before she reached the door. She tried to pull away from him as he dragged her back across the room to the chair he had previously occupied, sat down and pulled her across his knee.
"Now, are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I going to have to persuade you?"
"Please, Adam, don't do this, please," she begged.
"Up to you. Start talking or I'll start spanking."
"Adam, please. I can't tell you. I don't want to put you into danger."
"Not good enough." And with that said, he landed two hard swats to her backside.
"Ow! she cried. "Stop, please. That hurt."
"Good." Then after a pause, he said, "this is your last change or it will hurt a lot more soon."
No response, so he swatted her once again and suddenly she cried, "alright, I'll tell you, but please don't spank me anymore."
"Okay. Start."
"Let me up first, please."
"Oh, I don't think so. I feel happier with you in this position, than having you trying to run off - again.
"I promise, I won't run off. Please, Adam."
"Alright. One false move and you're right back in this position with your skirt up around your head. Is that understood?"
"Yes," came the quiet reply.
Adam carefully lifted her up and turned her to face him. He could see she'd been crying.
"Why are you crying. I couldn't have hurt you that much, especially over your skirt."
"I wasn't crying for that reason, and just to let you know, it did hurt. I was crying for all the trouble I've caused you and how, even so, you came looking for me, instead of just letting me go."
"I imagine you have a long story to tell, so I advise you sit down and have a cup of coffee with me before you start."
'Sit down, that's a joke', she thought but said instead, "that sounds good, thank you, Adam."
So after a little while and they had had their fill of coffee, Julie began.
"Firstly, Adam, I have to have your promise not to divulge to anyone, what I'm about to tell you, or I will not tell, no matter what you do to me. I know you fairly well, to know if you make a promise, you'll keep it."
"That's true, but I have a question for you before I commit."
"And what is that?"
"Have you broken the law, committed a crime?"
"No, Adam. It's nothing like that."
"Then I promise."
"And after you've heard all, will you let me go on my way?"
"That I cannot promise." A deep sigh came from Julie but then she continued.
"You have to promise not to tell anyone, especially your family because I don't want to put them in any danger."
"You have my word, my promise," he genuinely vowed. Now please, tell me what's happening with you."
"For you to fully understand, I need to go right back to the beginning."
"That's fine, we have plenty of time and food, if needs be. Please, go on."
"Once upon a time in Lincoln, Nebraska, there was a Mr Albert Bridgeman and a Mr Arnold Thompson, both widowers. They were two wealthy businessmen. Mr Bridgeman owned a law practice and Mr Thompson was a Lawyer with his own firm. Also they were great friends.