| Show TW A TR HM b AALI AA LI alil 0 laxell J SYNOPSIS john landl N eighteen yearn year old wife ot of r alerre I 1 erre la Is the daughter li of t joh john n carver who murdered h her mother other for adultery her lifo with her bar father in a wyoming Ili cabin unbearable joan lieve him to work in a hotel in a n nearby rby town lown joan meets pierre and the two mutually at trao ted are married marr leil carver tells story lory of 0 joans mother pierre forges a cattle brand frank young minister presents books to joan alerre forbid her to read them D bened by pierre ties join joan and burns burn the two liar dar brand I 1 into to her shoulder Bh hearing he her reams creams a tranger stranger bt into tho the ho hauae me and shoots pierre the stranger tranger revives joan tolling telling her pierre la is dead frires her to go with him at the strangers erB home joani in juries aro are attended to I 1 CHAPTER XI continued 0 0 lie stood blood up near her feet at the corner of the hearth tucked tile the instrument ment under ills hla chin and played it was tho the and he clayed it creditably with fair skill and with some of the wizardry that his nervous vitality gave to everything 1 he be did at the alie fir first st note joan started her pupils enlarged the she lay still atilt at the end ho he saw BOW that she was quivering and in tears lie ile lnell down beside tier her drew the from her face why joan the tha matter dont you like music joan drew a shaken breath its as 03 if it shook me in here something trembles lit in my heart she said 1 I never beefed music before jest whis whig alln and again site she wept prosper stayed there on hla his knee beside her his chin in ht his hand what an extraordinary being this was what a wilderness the thought of exploration ra lion of discovery of f cultivation filled him with excitement and delight such opportunities aro are rarely given to it a neail man even that other most beautiful adventure yes lie he could think this already I 1 might have been tame beside this one lie ile looked long at joan long into ilfe the fire and she lay iny still weilt the brooding beau ty of 0 that first henril heard melody upon her face it was wag the first music she lind had ever hoard board except whist whistling lin but there lind had been a great dc deal al of whist about the cabin up lone river whistling of robins in spring tio nothing thing tweeter 1 the chord like whist lings ot of thrush and vireo after sunset that bubbling mar roar guer ito with which the blackbirds woo and the light ight diminuendo minu endo with which tho the bluebird caressed the air after on an april flight flighty 1 perhaps joans joan musical faculty was less untrained trained than nuy any other after nil all that Proven cale was w as 61 st the melodious story of the woodis woods in spring sprang every note united linked itsell to tin nn emotional subconscious memory it tilled filled joabb heart with the freshness of childhood and pained her only because it struck a spear of delight into her pain she was eighteen she had grown like a tree drinking in sunshine and storm but rooted to a solitude where very little else but sense expert enco ence could reao reach her mind she had seen tragedies tnie edles of animal life lonely death struggles horrible nights flights and more horrible captures sho she had seen joyous woo wool ings love einings partings and bereavements she knew that the sun shone on the evil and on the good but she knew also that frost fell upon tile the good ev an well as upon the evil nor was the evil to be readily distinguished xer her father prated of 0 only one ok offense her mothers mother sin joan knew that it was a roana mans right to kill ills his woman tor for eallis d with another man this law was human it evidently did not hold good with animals there was no to bitterness though some ferocity in the traffic of their loves while she pondered through the first sleepless nights in tha strange shelter thais fb th era cis end and while tho billiard prosper thad had counted on drove bayoneted but bat jallon of snow across the plains and t forced tham screaming like madmen along alone the narrow canyon joan came slowly find and fully to a realization of the he motive of pierres res deed lie had abeen been jealous ile he had thought that she wnm having dealings with another man she grew hot and shamed it wis was her fathers sin that branding on her shoulder or perhaps going back farther her mot mothers berB sin carver hail had warned pierre parne of f the hot and smothered heart to beware of joans lookin an lookin at another man now I 1 ln in piteous woman fashion joan went over and over her memories of pierres Pl errea love altering them to ot fit her terrible expert experience ened she was still hed by nil all the strong mesh of her married life she had simply 7 not got as far as prosper gael she accepted his ils hospitality vaguely himself even more mare vaguely whon when she would be done with her passionate grief tier her laborious going over of the past her active and tormenting finger anger with the lover whom prosper had told her wits was dead then it would be time to study this ot other herman roan As for her future she had to no plans bitans at all joans life came to her as it comas comes toa child unsullied by curiosity at this time prosper was infinitely the more curious the more excited of the two CHAPTER 11 A matter of tt are you so hard bard tor for mr ift baell join joan voiced thi the question wistfully on the height of a long bruth do eh drew it from froma a kalac by katharine newlin burt cedat by katharine N durt burt which seemed to her to hove have filled this strange gay house for nn an eternity for tho the first time full awareness of 0 the present cut a rift in the trouble 1 cloudiness of tier her introspection at once prospers hand laid down its ita pencil and lio lie turned about in his chair and gave her a gleaming look and smile joan was fairly startled it wo 8 as if she had touched some mysterious spring and turned on a n dazzling unexpected light As a matter of tact fact prospers heart had leapt at her wistful and beseeching voice ito ho had bad been biding bidina his time lie had absorbed himself in writing content to leave in suspense the training of hla enchanted leopardess halt absent glimpses of her desolate beauty ui ai she moved about his winter whiter bound house contemplation of lier ter unselfconsciousness as site she companioned companio ned hla his meals tile the pleasure lie he felt in tier her rapt listening to ilia his music la in the still frost held evenings by the fire these lie he had made enough they quieted its his restlessness toothed soothed the ache of his heart filled him with a warm and patient desire different from any feeling he had bad yet experienced ile he was amused by tier her lack of interest in him she evidently accepted him as a superior being a providence lie he was not no a man at all not of tile the same clay as pierre and herself prosper had waited understandingly enough for tier her first move when the personal question come it made a sort of crash in the expectant silence of his heart before answering except by that smile he lit himself a cigarette then strolling to the fire he sat on the rug below her drawing ills his knees up into ills 1113 hands id like to 0 o tell you about my writing joan after fill all its the great interest of it my life and ive been fairly seething with it only I 1 want to bother you worry your Tour poor distracted head theres more in life than youve dreamed of experiencing theres music fo for r one thing and there are books and beauty af a thousand kind sand big wonderful nd erful thoughts and theres 0 k of and in the th meantime her education went on i 4 i companionship and talk what larks we ave could have you and 1 I if you would care I 1 mean it you would wake up and let me show you how you do want to learn a womans comans work dont you joan she shook her head slowly smiling wistfully im so BO awful ignorant you know so BO awful much it scares me plumb scares me to think how much you know more than mr holla well I 1 such books an books an bookel books 1 an writing too you see id be no help nor company fer you id like to listen to you id listen nil all day long but id not be understand in ln ile he laughed at her joans pride was vas stung youve no right to laugh at me she bhe said ard id not be caran what you think and she left him moving like an angry stag head high light tt st D afore dinner he rapped at her door joan will you do me a favor I 1 A piuse pause thee lil her sweet vibrant bolce she answered id be loin doln anything g ter fer you uk mr then put things for din 1 l per net id of your own clothes will vou fou she opened the door and lie be plied piled into tier her arms a mass of shining silk on top of it a pair ot 0 gorgeous chinese slippers do it to please me even it you think it makes you look queer will you ot of course the bhe smiled srol led looking up from the gleaming sliding stuff into his faco face rd id ll like koto to anyway dressing up fun and she shut the door she spread the silk outon the bl bei and found it a loose robe of dull blue embroidered in silver dragons an and with brilliant rose there was waa a skirt of this same rose colored stuff in one weighted pocket she folind a 1 baft of sll aller er coins and ft a little TM amt of creamy lam lace bilm won vr re rc silk uli 6 stockings toc kIngs stuffed into the shoes joan 1 eagerly arrayed herself she had bad trouble rouble with tho the vest it wn was so BO filmy almy so BO vaguely made it seemed to her and to wear it nt at all she had to divest direst herself altogether of the upper part of tier her coarse underwear then it seemed to tier her startlingly inadequate even na as an undergarment Ilo however wever tho the robe did go averit ov over erIt it and she drew that close and belted it in it was wag provided with long sleeves and fell to tier lier nril ankles des sho she thrilled at the delightful clinging softness of silk stockings and for tile the first tiro admired tier her long round ankles and shapely feet the chinese chines slippers amused her but they were beautiful nil fill embroidered broi brol dered with flowers and dragons she felt she must look very queer indeed and went to the mirror what she saw there surprised her because it was so strange so different pierre alerre had not dealt in compliments ills woman was his woman and he loved her body to praise this body surrendered in love to him would have been impossible to the reverence and reserve of ills passion now joan brushed and colled coiled her hair then starting toward the door at wen ilos announcement of dinner lady she was quite suddenly overwhelmed by 03 shyness ness from head to foot for the first time in all tier her life she was acutely conscious of herself on that evening prosper began t to 0 talk it was joans amazing beauty as she stumbled wretchedly into the circle of his firelight tier her neck drawn up to its full length her head crowned high with soft black masses her lids dropped under the weight of shyness vivid fright in her distended pu pupils pils scarlet in her cheeks joans beauty of long strong lines draped drapea to advantage for the first time in soft and clinging fabrics that touched the spring of prospers prospera delighted egotism lie ile told anecdotes strange adventures tures lie drew his own inverted morals he sketched ills fantastic opinions lie was in truth fascinating a sp speaking enking face a little lithe brilliant presence a voice of edged persuasion she drew herself lier up straight in the big red lacquered chair sipped tier her coffee in dainty imitation ot of him gaye hin the full deep tribute of her gaze asked for no explanations and let the ato astounding statements tie he made the amazing pictures he drew cut their way indelibly into her most sensitive and preserving memory afterward tit nt night for the mhd first time she lid did not weep for pierre perre the old lost pierre who had so changed into a torturer but wakeful bertrain her ber brain ana on anro ili atie e aver and over the things she had just heard feeling after their meaning laying aside for future enlightenment what was utterly incomprehensible arguing with herself lier its as to the truth of half comprehended coulp reli ended speeches nn an ignorant igno ernnt child wrestling with a n modern philosophy tricked out in motley by a ready wit ile he gave tier her pretty things whole quantities of them fine linen t to be white made up into underwear soft white and colored silks and crepes cerepes which joan remembering the few lessons in dressmaking she had had bad from maud upper and with some advice from prosper made up not too awkwardly accepting the mystery ot of theta thein as one ona of prospers magic makings and in the meantime her education went on prosper read aloud to her hee tutored her scold scolded edher her so fiercely sometimes that joan would mount scarlet cheeks and open open angry eyes one day she fairly flung her book from her and ran out of the room stamping her feet and shedding tears but back she came presently for more thirsting for knowledge eager to meet her trainer on more equal grounds to be able to answer him to some purpose to contradict him to stagger ever so slightly the self gelf assurance of his superiority and prosper enjoyed the training of his captive leopardess leo though ho he sometimes all but melted over the of her and had much ado to keep his hands handa from her unconscious young beauty it was a january night when joan her rough head almost in the ashes had read isabella find and the rot pot of basil by the light of flames it was in march a gray still afternoon when looking through prospers prospera bookcase sho she came upon the tale again prosper was outdoors cutting a tunnel freshly blocked with snow and joan having baving finished the life of cellini Cel lint 1 a writer she loathed but whose gorgeous fabrications her roaster master had forced her to read now hurried to the bookshelves books helyes in search of something more to her taste she had bad the gay air of a hollday seeker returned cellini CeIl lill with a smart push and kneeling ran her finger along the volumes volu meg pausing on a binding of bright blue and gold it was tha color that hod had pleased her and the fat square shape also the look of fair and well spaced type she took the book end nd squat squatted tod on the rug happy as aa it a child with a new toy of his own choosing TO BE ian CONTINUED |
