Show T the h e Brand brandina d inq inq q iron irol ron Q Q Q katharine newlin bu burt br karip V burt t XI continued 16 CHAPTER 24 N artt was u tile th bort fort of night he h had ell M sma ad the next day he be pulsed in he ile lind find no hart heart to face that bat tle tile great purpose now DOW lature elip ts off bad failed hollwell HoU lwell s god L i t clifort cla fort nd 1 forgiveness forsook did he want ft ith a god k i in what aln a thet one of his lonely dumun lire life was out there lost h at tati ills OV de ily I 1 perhaps the she was the W wound had killed for lit all the year years eho she might abeen n iving lad dead somewhere ome where in i t mow dow un nd dr r the tile eky sky sharp pe eal I 1 n of pin pain I 1 r ll ottel dull periods P ot of rr nor to I 1 ow lt it wa was night again and k k collection f jaspers Jn pers theater ticket ut uti va d aged him to a vague purpose tat 11 t wanted I 1 arc APO again cal that woman arki rk lull bid PO 10 owned his memory nier nory of itu atun 4 it woula I 1 I 1 be hateful to me see her do dom 1 I a but he wanted the pain he lie t ft K wd iel ind and iro Ollied himself care ti twi I 1 then feeling a little faint lie nei t out into the clattering glaring ho hoi ht L berrt experience of theatergoing theater going t hii cee dInki small lie had neve I 1 i to fi i in so 10 1 for 0 a playhouse as this iden of moreno a I 1 he had never seen thole tho ijiro ind vm u ell dewed aa all audience er beard a faill lu and well trained or emilj 1 sal in 1 of hinie elf he be began to itz be b detracted distracted excited stirred as ra rr then lien the curtain rose on the will acne the lush island the ail da wise sea the realistic strip of fut fast ea el and land pierre gave an audible ragi I 1 i ct of admiration and sur the po n bout about him began to bo be amused lit to excited ent of this handsome aw ud young man eo so graceful and tk to different with his big hardness ha lanese the brilliance of hs eyes bromels of his skin ills clothes ad irv i pd ool enough but they fitted him 0 odd air of disguise an expert 4 i eye ete would inevitably have seen edia appropriateness of flannel shirt made silk neck handkerchief boota boom spurs plene pierre was entirely ind a r bel nn of being interesting or differ at it that moment caught up in action of the play he was as out rig t 70 himself as a child the ita t hlo 1 palms of stage land stirred ett the between their tall talk vivid oat a t a prayed a eu came joan with her tread pee pet and watchful eyes of a leop hr loose wild hair decked i lover these and her ber makeup make up lu let thinness disguised her corn 4 fron from pierre but again his I 1 ame to his throat and when i itt ber hands up to her mouth ailed lolled his pulses gave a leap ile tl ils tyes he remembered avolee 1 4 him la in to upper supper PI Pl erre errel I 1 pp he ile could sniff the smoke of heinl aba fire am ile opened bis his eyes nine me the she joan this P tt 4 W pent punt crea creature turL De besides sides his ea could never have done what this u su vas was doing aby why joan fam tt al talk wit like thie this she act url to rl ATO her soul I 1 she was as simple bouat I 1 and a shy with the er r W a shyness of wild things to ini ing tilt this actress lady was mak ese 15 were ane she was a wild thing and get III wu n doing it almighty well but 1114 i ltd been the reality and grave VA M pan part of his own biff big crave for or ill country not a fierce nerce man i lulng luil mal of the tropics pierre wind VY I 1 k the play with all but one frag frac winte 4 tot of his hi brain and that kemem etter f 4 joan it hurt like a hot coal th t SIM j 1 deliberately bately ignored the he pain t iowa dowat wed the action breathlessly eded ed with contagious fervor SUL alfr rid himself of tears and it M a 4 b the last scene the angry jeal and i ala mla sprang upon pa her tamer he al of 1 wrt serve you right you coy of alth an in oath of the cow camp 0 the mahone stade cne of bi his neighbors jump pounds throttle ta a startled laugh of cn fell ell and while th the apt I 1 the if k t 3 rose T and died down da and rose been ua and 11 the people called cpr jane hay bay ine betl esti the stage dirac tal ill on of A 1 plump little jew came out be iriri lne cats foo Ch ts and held beld up his there was a gradual silence soy n aut to make S an besting interesting an a 2 otela be said sai the t author of has hitherto main i is anonymity but tonight I 1 11 to div you yott his name ore n 4 in the 1 heater theater tonight the of i th already y familiar to yoa you as author 0 of a populate love onu only 1 on prosper gaev the IF ef was A stir of interest it gen Is to P lif of the 6 house clapping of PP 1 1 bont author ml I 1 Au author d and a in 1 a 11 tl 7 i prosper gael 1 left bis his it of III beside the director dl rector a aisle do ott to the 1119 calls ile 1 i 1 wf tri was waa en ea I 1 this th dogs eased clork looked e even a A bu t he wag tt T very err white san there bo a graceful and WS to 1 I figure and 11 ile 11 was about to when f au rea it WM was interrupt ip th 1 calling caann for t jane J I 1 to 4 and oe audience aud lence wanted to see aloas It ton lined 1 author side by side bet it a uhl nd r tea th tt 6 I 1 1103 jane avest west came de dr edw il wing walking I 1 that tjan tJ jr ln ft bet in ter r treen green gown ta ts I 1 liti neck in her hair ui 01 0 it atu 0 dalward wd the andl of per bew boyr laor amile me and 4 f i 1 applause OP beppu to falter a am though the sensitive mind of the choai 0 an a already aware asre billat here something Bomp thing must be he wrong wi slit came nery lowly hr her arms art s hanging her head lent bent her tyes looking up from under her brous and ahe h stood beril beside dit I 1 gael whole whose forced amile had bad stiffen d on bin him lip alpi L he lie looked nt at her in obvious fear ai as a man might look at a dangerous dang proun nia ma I 1 woman oman there auit have been rond mod nees in her eyes she he mood for a strange terrible moment moving lier her head slightly from ide side to eld aide ihen khe she aid sold something in a ery low tone because Ile caute of he the extraordinary carrI carriar nR quality of her alco the question woe was heard by oNer everyone there pr sant lou rote arote the piny play lou ion wrote the blayr she bile said sold it twice she he seemed to quiver to pother gather herff herit if together her hands bent her arms liftee she flew at prosper falth ith all the sudden strength of her lax anIty there was an outcry a confusion people rushed to gael baele a nl stance mon blau caught hold of joan a no kling frantically it was a dreadful eight right mercifully a brief one she collapsed COlluP sed utterly fell forward for Aard the strap strop of her gown breaking in the grasp of one of the men mho held her for an instant everyone in the audi ence saw a strange double scar sear that ran acroix her shoulder eho alder to the edge of the shoulder blade it visa like two bare bars pierre got to hia his feet dropped back and hid bid his face fam then he be was up and struggling past excited people down doan the row out into the aisle along it hurrying blindly down unknown passages till somehow he got himself into that confused labyrinth behind the scenes alere a pale distracted sceneshifter informed wormed him that miss 1 west had already been taken home pierre got the address found his way out to the street hailed balled a taxicab and threw himself into it lie ile sat forward every muscle tight he felt that he could take the taxicab up and hurl burl it forward so terrible was his imp tience an apartment house was a greater novelty to him even than a theater but after a dazed moment of dincov pf ri P h ra ill F 1 n ar are you the doctor ering that he be did not have to ring or knock but just push open the great iron scrolled door and step into tile he brightly lighted steam marble hall he decided that the woman at it the desk was a person in authority and to her be addressed hl elf soft bat hat gripped in his liand band his face set tb hide bide excitement the girl was pale and red eyed they had brought miss NN cst est in a it few him find carried minutes ago she told ri edher ahr up she was still ancon dous scions poo poor r thing 1 1 d y t think you conid could see her sir mr morena orens is up there and mr gael and a doctor doc has been sent for A trained nure everything in the world III he done such an ele ant actress int she pre aften n seen her myself and so kind nod plesiant pleni ant abras yes air like but rm sure they ask if you wont aoa tallow allow you up she he p out u t the receiver receive r to her ber ear pushed f in n the black plug and alere listened to her quilon lon iOns can miss est t ree anyone ran can nn an old friend for so pierre had him eif be allowed tl see named ys with her no I 1 tho thought aught not big glance at pierre she a sympathetic ill is scions yet Is not can could I 1 to tile pierre 1 asked hoarsely know if wants to the gentleman certainly i the h doctor be he can I 1 speak to be waitt ill if he not at the way doctor ST ill speak to him on out bench and waited pierre u sat on the ile leaned forwards forwar dt elbo a on knees the d and 25 bill head crushed in both got women stared it at bi bin 1 hat that he h sal as aware of her scrutiny ills hi eyes looked through his surround ingo to join joan lie II 11 saw br her in very every vese and in ewry ertry look IQ in which he b had eer seen her and with a very nick sick and frightened heart he be aw saw her at the lait last par pass by him in her fur oaf oat throwing Aing him that half bontemp look and arall mile 0 she 0 know liia film as he chanted so greatly or was wits the chance change in her so enormous that it had disassociated her completely from her old life from him he IN kept repeating to himself hollawell Holl lwell a stern admonishing speech Ilmi however ever changed for the worse morse she he may he be when hen you do find her pierre you mint remember that it Is your fault your sin you must not judge her murt not dare to judge her judg judge con on lemn yourself it Is for her to forgive it if ehe she can brine bring herself to 10 dolt do it so now pierre fought down his s suspicions us and hie film fears he lie had not recognized prosper the man vi who ho had come in out of the white night four jears ago had worn his hi ca cap p low over ills eyel hia his collar turned up about his fare face and even at that I 1 ferret in his ills drunken stupor had not been able to see him very clearly nils prosper gael who ho had bad stood behind the footlights this prosper gael at whom joan for some unknown cause had sprung like a woman maddened by injury waa was a person entirely strange to alerre but pierre hated him the roan man had bad done joan some insufferable mischief which at the last had driven her beside herself pierre put up a hand pressing it against his eyes he lie wanted anted to shut out the picture of that struggling girl with her torn dress and the double ecar scar across her shoulder if it hada t been for the scar sear he would never have known her his joan joah his gentle silent joan I 1 1 hot had bad they been doing to her to chance change her so no not they he ile lie ile had changed her he ile had branded her and driven her out it was his fault faull he must try to find her again to find and the old joan loan it she should live the doctor had said that she was desperately 0 9 god I 1 what was keeping him so long why he come the arrival of the trained nurs nurse distracted pierre for a few moments she went past him in her gray tray cloak very quiet and earnest and the elevator lifted her out of sight eight were yon you in the theater tonight ailed the girl at the desk seeing that he was temporarily aware of her again spin yes maam she was puzzled by his appearance and the fashion of his speech he ile must be a gentleman she thought for his beig bearing was gentle and assured and conscious but he wore his clothes differently and spoke differently from other gentlemen that yes maam especially dis die tatted her then she remembered a novel fhe she had read and her mind jumped to a conclusion she leaned forba forward rd say aren t yon you from the westa west yes ma am you t ever a cowboy you pierre smiled yes maam I 1 was raised in a cow camp I 1 was a cowboy till about seven years ago when I 1 took to I 1 where was that out in wyoming and youve come straight from there to new yorker she pronounced it NOO tolk no ma din am been in alasky for two years tears now DOW I 1 ve te been in a lumber camp gee geel 1 real interesting and you knew miss west before she came east then les iles ma ran am but there was a subtle change in pierre a patient voice and clear unhappy eyes so that the girl fell to humming and bottled up her curiosity but just as soon as 23 be he began to brood again ibe be gave give up jie er whole mind to staring at him hinl geel he ile was brown bron and strong and thin and a she wished that she bad had worn her transformation that evening and her blue blouse he lie might have taken more interest in her A stout bald headed beaded man bag bat in hand band stepped out of the elevator and pierre rippled to his feet are you the doctora yes oh youre the gentleman who wanted to see miss west come to but she Is out of her head completely know anyone can you step out with mer TO BE ne CONTINUED |