Far and Away Page #4

How about some land?

Well, get a horse,

and help yourself.

So, now you believe me

about the land, do you?

lf they're throwing it away,

l wouldn't mind a piece of it.

Maybe this is my destiny.

On his deathbed, my father told me

he'd be watching me from up above.

l wonder now if his spirit

might be near, guiding me along.

lf he bumps into Mr. McGuire up there,

tell him l want my spoons back.

lmagine me...

Joseph Donelly,

standing on my own plot of land.

What would l plant, l wonder?

Oats, corn, potatoes-

Oh, God, no, not potatoes.

Maybe wheat.

Wheat.

Oh, Shannon...

l'm dreaming of it now.

Great fields of wheat

as far as the eye can see.

Oklahoma land was my idea,

you blathering fool!

''Maybe this is my destiny.''

lf it weren't for me, farm boy,

you wouldn't even be here!

Well, if it weren't for me,

Miss High and Mighty...

you'd have died

outside in the street.

Give me back my pillow.

Not in a hundred years.

This book is irritating me.

Do you actually think

you're fooling me, Daniel?

Would you prefer l proclaim

my independence and drink in the open?

l like the system we've got.

How could she be so cruel?

Not to send us any word.

She's in America, Nora.

She's been writing to me

for some time now.

You hid these from me?

At Shannon's request.

Read them now...

though they may not

bring you comfort.

- Death to the landlord!

- Burn the house to the ground!

Burn it down!

Captain Moonlight!

Get out of the house, Nora!

- Oh, the letters!

- Leave the letters alone, Nora!

Burn down every last one of them!

Come with me.

Stephen!

We're over here!

Quickly. This way.

All of your life,

collected and destroyed.

l'm truly sorry

for your loss.

Does this mean we're finished?

Are we impoverished now?

No, sir. You still have your land

and your holdings.

This is no longer the lreland

of my birth.

Our daughter's fallen

into perilous ruin, Daniel.

- We must go to her now.

- Shannon?

She's-

She's been in Boston

these many months.

Then we shall find her there.

You over there, keep working.

lf you don't work,

you don't get paid.

Get those chickens plucked.

Get to work.

l think the prettiest girl

in this factory...

one with the prettiest eyes and the

prettiest red hair is Joseph's sister.

lf you don't mind my saying so.

You can say what you like, lad.

But l warn you,

that redhead has a bite that stings.

Get to work.

Get your filthy hands off me,

you ugly animal.

That'll cost you a day's wage.

Go ahead.

lnsult me again.

Pig.

There goes tomorrow.

Done?

Take Friday as well, you spineless

little fraction of a man.

Bite, lads. Bite.

What are you looking at?

l'm just trying to figure out

what you're doing there.

lt's obvious what l'm doing.

l'm cleaning my clothes.

l see.

Do you ever wonder

why it takes you so long?

My clothes, if you notice,

if you look about...

are washed and hung- done.

Your talent astounds me, Joseph.

Move over.

Move over.

lf you want to clean your clothes,

you have to get your hands wet.

First, you place the board

like so.

You take the soap in your right hand,

the clothes in the left.

Then you brush the soap

across the clothes twice.

Like so.

Then you plunge and scrub.

You plunge and scrub.

And plunge and scrub and lift.

And if it's still not clean,

well, then you go again.

You plunge and scrub.

You keep on plunging and scrubbing...

till all your plunging and scrubbing

is done.

Thirty, forty...

forty-five-

forty-five, fifty.

You could be a banker, Joseph,

with your ability to count.

Oh, a compliment.

Thank you, Shannon.

Don't suppose you've calculated

what the journey will cost.

lf l barter, l can get a buckboard

for under 25.

lt's the harness that's costly.

Bit, frame-

Frame, collar, reins.

Oh. Very impressive.

How much have you saved?

Are you still praying you'll

make it to the Oklahoma land race?

- l'll get there.

- Ha! What a corker.

You're a corker, Shannon.

Why don't you go back home to lreland?

Write to your parents for money.

They'll forgive you

for your petty foolishness.

America may not be exactly

what l thought it would be, but...

if l went back to lreland,

l wouldn't-

What?

Wouldn't what?

l said l'll get there,

and l'll get there- by myself.

Well, you need supplies.

- Of course. Food, clothes-

- Ammunition, gun.

Whenever l think of guns,

l remember Stephen Chase.

You're lucky to be rid

of that piss-headed snob.

Oh, he wasn't so bad.

You didn't know him as well as l did.

l knew him well enough.

Me, he adored.

He worshiped me.

There wasn't a puddle of mud

he didn't lay his coat upon...

for me to walk across.

- Are you facing east?

- Aye. Facing east.

All right.

Almost ready.

Thanks be to Jesus.

Light.

l'm in.

Good night, Shannon.

What?

Am l beautiful at all?

l've never seen anything like you

in all my living life.

Good.

Let's have another boxing match.

We need another challenger.

This man has not been defeated tonight.

Will anyone box him?

Any challengers to-

Oh, sir, you can beat him.

- You've got the face of a winner.

- l'll fight him.

No! No, no, no, no!

Joseph, there's rules

in this club.

Toe the line and all that.

You got to wait until l signal.

Toe the line, gentlemen.

No kicking, no biting, no gouging.

- Fight me here, farmer!

- Put your foot on the line.

- Right.

- Toe the line. Toe the line.

- Get away.

- Put your toe on the line.

- Come on. You're yellow!

- Come on!

Go on, scrapper!

Stop it.

You've won, Joseph. Stop it.

What a fight!

l knew you had it in you.

Girls, get up the burly-cue.

- What do you call yourself again?

- Joseph. Joseph Donelly.

That's right. You clobbered

that fella's brains out, lad.

l discovered this fella

fresh off the boat.

Gordon, get this scrapper

something to smoke.

Who's your boy there, Kelly?

A newfangled style of fighting

he's got there.

He's slippery, all right.

Shake hands with Mr. D'Arcy Bourke,

member of the city council.

l'll shake your hand, Mr. Bourke,

but l'm not in a friendly mood.

l came here to fight.

There's fight left in me yet.

He's a lively one, Kelly.

Would you box an ltalian

if l scared one up?

l'll box any man

you put in front of me.

Mike! Mike! Mike!

Jesus Christ, Dermody.

When's your voice gonna change?

- We've got another pug.

- Bring him on.

And l'll put money on you.

Place your bets, gentlemen.

The boy's got an appetite, Kelly.

Toe the line, gentlemen.

lt's nothing!

l'm feeling grand tonight.

Steady now, you rogue.

- What happened?

- Help me get him into bed.

Joseph, you're covered in blood.

What happened to you?

He's been prize fighting,

but he'll survive.

He had a charge of gunpowder in him

that needed to go off.

And who might you be?

l'm Grace.

l work at the social club.

l did well tonight, didn't l?

You beat 'em all.

But don't talk now.

Get some sleep.

l need to talk to you.

You're his sister, right?

What sort of man is he?

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