at once. He saw prospects of money and the farm ahead.
When her husband discovered the secret of her child’s real father, even before Marianne was born, he threatened to see them all sent to prison. Her father gave him a considerable sum of money, saying that Vinzenz could go to the city with it, or even emigrate.
Vinzenz agreed to be bought off, and he left the farm at the first opportunity.
Where is he now? She has no idea, and it was a matter of indifference to her at the time. The deal gave her a father for her child.
And life on the farm went on.
When she became pregnant again, and this time there was no man around who could shoulder responsibility in the eyes of the public, her father had the idea of palming the child off on Hauer.
At the time Hauer had just lost his wife. It was easy for Barbara to seduce the man. The “old fool,” as she called him, swallowed her story with eager passion. Barbara had to laugh out loud. It was easy to pull the wool over a man’s eyes.
Matters didn’t become difficult until Hauer urged her to marry him. She must find out where Vinzenz was and sue for divorce, he said. Or even better, get him declared legally dead. These things could be done, he knew “the right people,” everything was possible for cash down.
She made more and more excuses, until she finally broke up with him.
The man gave her no peace. He stood outside her window for nights on end. Knocking, begging to be let in.
He even lay in wait for Barbara, urging her to come back to him.
Barbara was repelled by the man. Just as she had always been repelled by her father. The older she grew, the less she wantedto be a good daughter. Her abhorrence of her father and men in general grew greater all the time.
They were all the same in their greed, their nauseating lust.
With the years, she had learned to make her father dependent on her. She loved it when he begged for a night with her, even went on his knees to her. She had him in her hands. The relationship had changed. Now she called the shots.
He must pay for his forbidden passion. Pay with the farm. He has transferred the farm over to her, on her conditions. She dictated the agreement to him. Now he depends on her and her favor.
Of course she wanted to buy forgiveness with her donation. She wanted to be free, and free also of a sin that she would never have committed of her own accord.
T ime passes very slowly. The minutes and hours crawl by at a snail’s pace.
Mick is still on the alert. The house isn’t quiet yet.
He is waiting for his moment to arrive. In his mind, Mick goes over the plan once more. He’s going to wait until the house is quiet and then go down into the barn.
The fire-raising trick. He’s often done it before. It’s easy.
The people who live in the farmhouse are lying in their beds. He starts a fire in the barn.
The cry of “Fire! Fire!” would be enough to wake Danner and his family abruptly. Drowsy with sleep, they’d run to the barn to save what they could.
What with all the panic now breaking out, he’d have plenty of time to get into the house. The Danners would be busy getting their cattle out of the sheds to save them from the flames. In the ensuing chaos he’d find and purloin all the ready cash in the farmhouse. The Danners would be much too busy keeping the fire under control and raising the alarm to stop him.
Afterward, no one would be able to say who first spotted the fire. His own tracks would go up in flames along with the barn, and he’d have disappeared into the woods by the time the blaze was out.
Mick leaves his hiding place in the loft. The moment seems to have come. It has been quiet in the house for some time now. Carefully, he makes his way forward to the suspended ceiling of the barn. To the threshing floor there. He pauses. Hears his heartbeat, hears his own breathing.
A rustling beneath him. A thought flashes through his mind: there’s someone down there in the barn! Why didn’t he see him
When her husband discovered the secret of her child’s real father, even before Marianne was born, he threatened to see them all sent to prison. Her father gave him a considerable sum of money, saying that Vinzenz could go to the city with it, or even emigrate.
Vinzenz agreed to be bought off, and he left the farm at the first opportunity.
Where is he now? She has no idea, and it was a matter of indifference to her at the time. The deal gave her a father for her child.
And life on the farm went on.
When she became pregnant again, and this time there was no man around who could shoulder responsibility in the eyes of the public, her father had the idea of palming the child off on Hauer.
At the time Hauer had just lost his wife. It was easy for Barbara to seduce the man. The “old fool,” as she called him, swallowed her story with eager passion. Barbara had to laugh out loud. It was easy to pull the wool over a man’s eyes.
Matters didn’t become difficult until Hauer urged her to marry him. She must find out where Vinzenz was and sue for divorce, he said. Or even better, get him declared legally dead. These things could be done, he knew “the right people,” everything was possible for cash down.
She made more and more excuses, until she finally broke up with him.
The man gave her no peace. He stood outside her window for nights on end. Knocking, begging to be let in.
He even lay in wait for Barbara, urging her to come back to him.
Barbara was repelled by the man. Just as she had always been repelled by her father. The older she grew, the less she wantedto be a good daughter. Her abhorrence of her father and men in general grew greater all the time.
They were all the same in their greed, their nauseating lust.
With the years, she had learned to make her father dependent on her. She loved it when he begged for a night with her, even went on his knees to her. She had him in her hands. The relationship had changed. Now she called the shots.
He must pay for his forbidden passion. Pay with the farm. He has transferred the farm over to her, on her conditions. She dictated the agreement to him. Now he depends on her and her favor.
Of course she wanted to buy forgiveness with her donation. She wanted to be free, and free also of a sin that she would never have committed of her own accord.
T ime passes very slowly. The minutes and hours crawl by at a snail’s pace.
Mick is still on the alert. The house isn’t quiet yet.
He is waiting for his moment to arrive. In his mind, Mick goes over the plan once more. He’s going to wait until the house is quiet and then go down into the barn.
The fire-raising trick. He’s often done it before. It’s easy.
The people who live in the farmhouse are lying in their beds. He starts a fire in the barn.
The cry of “Fire! Fire!” would be enough to wake Danner and his family abruptly. Drowsy with sleep, they’d run to the barn to save what they could.
What with all the panic now breaking out, he’d have plenty of time to get into the house. The Danners would be busy getting their cattle out of the sheds to save them from the flames. In the ensuing chaos he’d find and purloin all the ready cash in the farmhouse. The Danners would be much too busy keeping the fire under control and raising the alarm to stop him.
Afterward, no one would be able to say who first spotted the fire. His own tracks would go up in flames along with the barn, and he’d have disappeared into the woods by the time the blaze was out.
Mick leaves his hiding place in the loft. The moment seems to have come. It has been quiet in the house for some time now. Carefully, he makes his way forward to the suspended ceiling of the barn. To the threshing floor there. He pauses. Hears his heartbeat, hears his own breathing.
A rustling beneath him. A thought flashes through his mind: there’s someone down there in the barn! Why didn’t he see him
Similar Books
