Adelé van Soothsbay

by JH Terry

  “I could talk for hours, Pieter, but then what would have been the point of this mob. They do not like your tolerances of others, especially savages, so I suppose you can try to convince them but at least they will not be as ‘tolerant’ to listen as I have been. I hope you enjoy your fate, as well as that of this girl here, I suppose it is sad that you only came here to die. Too bad.”

  “Excuse me!” exclaimed a foreign voice through the crowd pushing several out of the way like a huge boulder through trees. The person soon came closer, showing a young man, perhaps of 23, who was thin, scrawny, with red hair and blue eyes. He also showed several freckles upon his face and his dress was that of sure sophistication and of one who was rich, as he carried with him a horsewhip by his side. Behind him he drew forward a brown colored horse with well-groomed hair that shone in the sunlight. The man seemed very angry and cross as he walked over to Uncle Pieter and Stuyvesant. He seemed not the least surprised by the outfits of Uncle Pieter or Adelé, or perhaps it was because he did not care. “Stuyvesant!” exclaimed the man in an angered tone. Stuyvesant’s face blanched as the man came closer. “Stuyvesant!”

  “Why, dear Mr….”

  However, before Stuyvesant could continue what he was saying, the man continued. “What is going on here?” said the man still angry.

  “Nothing to concern you, Mr. van Pargoo.”

  “But I am concerned, so what is the problem?”

  “Why sir, well, these two are dressed in the clothing of savages and have proclaimed in public their cannibalistic ways. If anything, I feel your father would be…”

  “Leave my father’s name out of such a disgusting show. I have never seen anything more disgusting in my life. Are you people uncivilized? In Holland, such a thing would never happen since laws still dictate that land, not here with you a mere monkey with a musket.” The crowd began to whisper at this as Stuyvesant became red in the face now. “These people have done no harm, Stuyvesant, you know that as well as I do. It is in the law that one is innocent until proven guilty.”

  “Yes, you are right,” said Stuyvesant like a defeated dog. “How silly for me to have forgotten.”

  “How lucky for me to have remembered and have rescued you from doing such a bad thing. If it must be known, my father sent me here (with a look of astonishment on Stuyvesant’s face) because he thought you might just try something like this. He likes doing business, Stuyvesant, but he doesn’t like mobs or lawlessness. He did not like you going to New Sweden that much, but it was economics and he lived with it, but it was wrong what you did to those people, forcing them to go through the wilderness to face obvious death amongst the Indians. No one deserves a death like that. It is what differs the civilized from the uncivilized, Stuyvesant, the law and how it is enforced. If one is unable to do that correctly then they are not fit for such a post.”

  With anger in his eyes and a sneer in his voice, Stuyvesant said, “Of course I am fit for this post, boy.”

  “I do not like that tone, Stuyvesant, keep it lower or my family might just go to Jamaica like we wanted to. Besides, the weather will be better for my father’s health. But of course, once we get there we will not hide our feelings for you or your colony.”

  Sensing a need to keep Mr. van Pargoo happy, Stuyvesant said, “You are right, I am sorry for this crowd around me, a mob more like it. (To the people in the street Stuyvesant turned) Good people of New Amsterdam, go home these people dressed as savages will not bother you. Do not worry, good bye.”

  Sad at not being able to have a true mob or riot, the men of New Amsterdam left, muttering things left and right. Some went home, while others went to the drinking house for a drink or two, leaving at last only van Pargoo, Stuyvesant, Uncle Pieter, and Adelé on the street. Van Pargoo looked to Stuyvesant, who bowed to the van Pargoo, as van Pargoo climbed onto his horse, before he left though he looked to Adelé as if he had only just seen her before in curiosity. Looking to Uncle Pieter he said, “What is your name?”

  “Pieter Appleton Fritter, and this is my grand niece, Adelé van Soothsbay.”

  Van Pargoo looked to Adelé with increased curiosity as he asked her, “Might your sister be Higgles van Soothsbay?”

  “Why yes,” said Adelé concerned.

  “I never knew she had a sister. I suppose you are saddened by her running away then.”

  “Running away?” asked Uncle Pieter concerned. Jan and Sarie had told them that Higgles had gone to the Netherlands to wed a respectable owner of a textile mill.

  “Yes, she ran away about two months ago with a Prince Isaac Raspereski right under your parents’ nose,” said van Pargoo still addressing Adelé.

  “You mean they lied to us?” asked Uncle Pieter with anger forming in his throat. “What for?”

  “What else for?” asked Adelé as she looked beyond to the Atlantic Ocean, dark blue in color. “To gain back their reputation.”

  Van Pargoo still stared at Adelé with curiosity, and when she caught his stare she began to grow angry and turned her face away from his view. “I will show them,” said Uncle Pieter not noticing the look of van Pargoo. “That is why they called for you Adelé, and if I hadn’t come.”

  “I am glad you did,” said Adelé as she took and held the hand of Uncle Pieter to assure him that everything would be all right.

  “Perhaps I will see you both again,” said van Pargoo in a refined manner. Looking to Stuyvesant he said, “Do not forget my promise, Stuyvesant, or you will be left with only your ego and pride to defend yourself against the people, who are probably your worst enemy. Haa!” Van Pargoo had used his horsewhip to his horse to ride it past them, turning to the left in the direction of the forest.

  Seeing that van Pargoo was gone, Stuyvesant sneered at Uncle Pieter, “Been used again by the van Soothsbays, eh Pieter? Too bad you are not clever enough to stop that from happening.”

  “You be good Stuyvesant,” said Pieter. “Or I’ll send you to the afterlife, and even you know that you are not going to the place of Saints.”

  Angry, Stuyvesant said, “You be careful, Pieter, or you might just say something that you will regret forever, and I’ll be there to make sure you suffer.” Stuyvesant smiled evilly as he walked over to the drinking house to get the men of New Amsterdam more excited in wanting to kill all the savages in the New World.

  “Let’s go,” said Adelé to Uncle Pieter, who nodded in agreement as they walked away. After they were a few steps forward, Adelé asked, “Uncle Pieter, did you notice an old woman walking away as you and Stuyvesant were talking?”

  “No dear,” said Uncle Pieter. “Stuyvesant takes a like of energy just to look at, with his evil face, let alone listen to. Why?”

  “She seemed to smile at me, and her face was so familiar to me, but I forgot what she looked like now.”

  “Well, ask one of the maids at the house I suppose, perhaps you will find out who it is.”

  “Perhaps,” said Adelé assuredly, but in her heart she had serious doubts if that were to happen.

  Soon they had reached the van Soothsbay home, and Uncle Pieter knocked on the door, but no one answered. Again Uncle Pieter knocked, and yelled, “I’ll stand here all day knocking and yelling until you open up, you hypocritical swine.”

  Soon the door was opened by Jan who had a look of extreme anger on his face, which became even worse as he saw what Adelé was wearing. “This is outrageous!” screamed Jan.

  Sarie, who had just come into view behind him, said, “Not so loud, Jan, the neighbors.”

  “I have never been so humiliated! I cannot stand you anymore, Pieter, you are insufferable. You almost burned down my house and my reputation is no more. You might as well as leave, her (as he pointed to Adelé) with you. There is no more point to anything, I am ruined and all my life I have worked so hard and came so close. Why did I ever have any children at all, when they only curse my name and leave me to be destroyed? I wish I never had any
children at all.”

  “At least not Adelé, but Higgles dear,” said Sarie in a sweet voice.

  “She is even worse, that Higgles,” said Jan looking to Sarie. “At least this one did not run away with a savage!”

  “Jan, you are being unreasonable. At least she found a man with money, this one will only be fit to marry the dogs. A week so far of training, and what to show for it? Only that she doesn’t drink whisky by the bottle at the table, no, now she drinks it with a swig here and there when she thinks no one is looking. If anything, Higgles at least is the best of the two.”

  “Where was Higgles honor that she left? At least this one came back when we called for her, and all her life we have treated her miserably. If anything we should at least be grateful.”

  “Grateful? Oh please, have you got a conscious now Jan.”

  “Perhaps I do, Sarie. I guess being a witch is not the highlight of my day like it is for you.”

  “I guess you act proud, if it were not for me we would not be here, you would not be as rich as you are now.”

  “Be quiet Sarie.”

  “Be quiet? I guess you do not want me to tell anyone your darkest secrets, but then again at least by being just a witch mine aren't that bad at all. I guess you would like to go to the jail you belong.”

  “Talk again and I’ll wring out your neck!” Sarie quieted down as Jan looked angry enough to do it. “I will not tolerate this tone from you any longer. I have put up with your nagging tone for too long. We will train Adelé for one more week, and if she is not respectable enough by then, then we will give her gladly back to Uncle Pieter and never bother her again. However, under this roof, Adelé, you are no longer allowed to wear that clothing. As for you Pieter, do whatever you want but no longer disgrace my name.”

  “And no more lies or cunning,” said Pieter angrily. “I do not like being used, or that of my friends.”

  “Good. Then at least that is settled, do come in before everyone in New Amsterdam makes this place into an exhibit of weirdness.”

  Uncle Pieter and Adelé entered the house as Jan closed the door, ending the raucous that had filled the day so far.

  XVIII. Louis van Pargoo

  A week had passed, and Adelé and Uncle Pieter had stayed. Adelé was doing so well in her lessons that it pleased Jan thoroughly enough to escort her around town. People were amazed by the difference of Adelé’s dress, but soon they began to look upon Jan respectably and even asked them over for tea sometimes. Sarie was too angry, though, to even talk to Adelé, whom she still loathed. It seems strange that Sarie hated Adelé so much, but that will be shown much later as to why.

  However, the only reason why Adelé acted so well was because she wanted to find out who that old woman was. Through hours of torture of talking over and over again, the same questions at teatime. “So, you lived with savages? Is it true that they wear skins for clothing? What is that paint they wear on their faces? Well, it doesn’t matter anyway, it looks barbaric no matter why they wear it? I am just so glad your parents were able to bring you down here and no longer be influenced by those beasts. Perhaps we should get missionaries to bring the Lord to their lost souls? It is only the fitting way to make them civilized, why, if I were in their shoes I would want someone to civilize me too!”

  Adelé would smile, try to get in a word of objection here and there, but sometimes it just felt as if it was not worth it. How could one get out of so many an ignorance so deep that no one had actually even seen an Indian, let alone understood their philosophies on life, which were, to Adelé, more logical than that of any civilized one she had read so far. It seemed strange to her how ignorance and prejudice stood next to each other like two brothers, but she said nothing to anyone but Uncle Pieter, when she did seem him. However, these times were fewer, since Uncle Pieter took to meeting Louis van Pargoo during the day as the two would discuss business. Sometimes Louis would come on the off chance of seeing Adelé, but each time he called on her she was off with Jan to more tea parties. Besides, seeing van Pargoo would anger Sarie.

  As Adelé learned on the first day of her meeting van Pargoo from Jan was that his father was Johannes van Pargoo, the owner of van Pargoo Trading, a lucrative business of shipping goods from other places in the world to those in New Amsterdam, reputable in their trade, and who had ties with all of the other businesses in the Netherlands. They were the ones to bring trade to New Amsterdam to its great height six years ago, and seemed to be running things to a degree, within the law of course, but with enough influence to keep Stuyvesant in line, which was greatly needed due to Stuyvesant’s evil tendencies.

  However, one day as Adelé and Jan were walking to tea she eyed the old woman walking on the other side of the street, Adelé now knew that the face she had seen earlier in her life, but the woman quickly turned out of view. Sensing she might not have another chance after another week and a half, Adelé said politely to Jan, “Dearest me father, but I have forgotten my handkerchief, do you perhaps know where the nearest shop is that I might procure another?”

  Jan smiled to Adelé and said, “Why yes, down the street here, let’s go.” Jan then took Adelé by the arm as he escorted her down the same street that the old woman had left to, but Adelé could see that the woman was gone. However she went with Jan to the clothing store just the same, but was surprised to see as they were going in Louis van Pargoo was coming out. He blushed red at the sight of Adelé, and polite said “hello” and bowed, as Adelé did the same.

  Jan, sensing the reason for Louis’s blushing said to Adelé, “I think that I can go to tea with Mrs. German alone today, Adelé, besides, you would find it boring (To which Adelé agreed with the shaking of her head, the remembered her mistake, as Louis smiled at her error). I think that I can leave you unharmed in the care of Mr. van Pargoo. I will see you back at the house.” With a lighter step Jan walked away from Adelé and Louis as he walked over to the house of Mrs. German.

  “I am glad to see you in a dress of less color and more frill,” said Louis as Adelé looked at him with no gladness at all. There was something about him that made him forgettable in her mind. “May I escort you?”

  “Where?” asked Adelé, her curt manner gone. “To the graveyard.”

  “Our politeness is gone, I see.”

  “Yes, and you can see I am going.”

  “Going where? You father went in the opposite way.”

  “I have to find someone.”

  “Who? A handsome young man who has your heart, too bad, lucky fellow.”

  “No, that is not what I live for,” said Adelé with a look of disgust at the thought of such a man. “I need to find an old woman.”

  “You mean the one with the shawl full of wholes, white hair, and a weather-beaten face who just passed by the clothing shop not ten minutes ago?”

  “Yes,” said Adelé surprised. “Do you know where she went?”

  “No, but I know who she is and where she lives. I can show you.”

  “No need, just tell me where, I can find the way.”

  “I would be nice enough to let you go, but as I am a gentleman I do not want you to get hurt. A young woman with those clothes on in New Amsterdam is never safe.”

  “How am I safe with you then?” asked Adelé with a tone of curiosity.

  “My reputation is at stake, I cannot afford to not be.” Adelé looked at Louis amazed, but still composed.

  “All right then, let’s go then to where she lives.”

  “All right then. It is a long walk though, so do get ready for the journey, especially with those boots.”

  “Oh, I hate these clothes,” said Adelé after walking only a few meters.

  “Why?” asked Louis.

  “They hurt my feet, and there is no point to them.”

  “Of course there is a point,” said Louis with a smile. “To annoy the wearers and make happy the lookers.”

  However, Adelé was not hap
py about his joke. “I guess you can joke around, I just wish you were wearing these and not me.”

  “Well, if you must know, I have worn them before.”

  “Are you joking?”

  “No, I went to university in Holland, in the Netherlands, before I came here to work for my father. I did some plays, and as you know women cannot be in plays, and I do have a woman’s face…”

  “You dressed as a woman? No!”

  “Yes, you have me cornered,” said Louis as Adelé could not stop laughing and picturing Louis in a dress, let alone a woman. “I have to say it was no joke, such a reference to my own experiences.”

  “Why are women not allowed in plays?”

  “Well, I really don’t know,” said Louis surprised at this question. “I suppose it is just a custom.”

  “I hate customs and traditions,” said Adelé. “They are so backward, what help are they?”