Show SYNOPSIS john landis eighteen years year old alfo v ife of alerre Is the daughter of 0 zohn carver who murdered tier her mother ther for adult adultery cry nor her lonely life with her father in a wyoming cabin unbearable joan him to in ft a hotel hotal I 1 in a nearby town joan meets pie pierro are and the two attracted tr are married carver tells I 1 lerro story of joanta mother ni othor al 11 pierro orro forges a cattle brand r frank young minister presents to joan pierre forbids tier bor to rend read them maddened by jealousy jealous alerre ties joa joan and burns yah tho 0 bar bra brand ld into her shoulder irenr ins ing her ber sc roams ains a str stranger angor bursts in into to tho the hou house s a a and ri d shoots alerre T alia stranger t gor revives joan telling h her r berre r la is do dead urge 5 tier her to go BO with him at tho homo I 1 jonn I 1 injuries are attended to chapters CHAP TEri XI continued ile he stood up near tier feet at t the he corner of the hearth tucked tile the instrument ment under ills chin and played it was tho the and lie ho played it creditably with fair skill and with some borne of tho the wizardry that I 1 lila i ts nervous vitality gave to everything he did at the first note jonn joan started lier ter pupils enlarged she I 1 lay aty still at the end he saw that she was quivering and in tears ilo ile knelt down beside her drew the hands from her face why joan tho the matter dont you like TU ausle jonn joan drew a shaken breath its as aa if it shook me in n here something trembles in rny my heart she said bald r 1 I never livered I 1 music before jest wh ehla 9 alln and again she wept prosper stayed there on his knee beside her his chint chin in his liand hand what an extraordinary being tills this was what a magnificent wilderness the thought of exploration of discovery of culta filled him with excitement and delight such opportunities tire rarely given to a man even that other most beautiful adventure yes lio lie could think this alrea already dyl 1 might have been tamo beside this one lie ile looked long nt at jonn joan long lone into tile the fire and silo she lay iny still with the brooding beauty of that first heard melody upon tier her fam face it was the tha first music she had ever heard except but there had been a great deal of whist whistling lin about the cabin up lone river whistling of robins in spring nothing sweeter the chord like whist lings of thrush and vareo after sunset that bubbling mar guer gaier itell alto with which ali the F blackbirds woo and the light dl endo with which the bluebird caressed the air after an april flight perhaps joans musical faculty was less untrained than any other after all that Proven encale cals was just the melodious story of the woods in spring every note linked itself to in an emotional subconscious memory it filled joans heart with the freshness of childhood und and pained her only because it struck a spear of delight into tier her pain she was eighteen slie she ha had grown like a tree drinking in ili sunshine ond storm but rooted to a solitude where very little else but sense ext expert e lit ence could reach tier her mind site she lin had seen tragedies of animal life lonely death struggles horrible flights and more horrible captures she had seen joyous wool love einings ings and bereavements she knew thiu the sun shone on the evil and on the go good od but she knew also that frost fell upon the good ns as well ns upon the evil nor was the evil to be readily distinguished iler her father prated of only one offen olTon sc her mothers sin joan knew that it was a m anns ans right to kill ills his woman for deall ns with another man this law was hunink it evIdent evidently lydia did not hold rood good with animals there was no bitterness though some ferocity in the traffic of their loves while she pondered through the first sleepless nights in tills this st strange range shelter of hers and while the blizzard prosper hall had counted on drove bayoneted battalions of snow across the plains and forced them screaming like nind nien along the narrow canyon joan came slowly and fully to a realization of the motive of pierres ric deed lie ile had find been jealous ile he hall thought that she was having dealings with another roan man she grew hot and slin shamed med it was her foi fathers sin that branding on tier her shoulder or perhaps going back farther her mothers sin carver had warned miff of the lie hot and erea heart to beware of joans lookin tin nn lookin at another man now in piteous fashion joan went over ant and oven over her memories of pierres Ilc res loep them to fit tier her terrible L experience she was still bela hc M by all tho strong mesh of her short d life she hail bad simply not got as far ns as prosper gnel gael she accepted his fits hoppl hospitality vaguely himself even more vaguely when sho she would be done with tier passionate grief tier her laborious going over of tile the past tier her find and for tormenting anger with the lover lova rpm prosper bud told tier lier was lead dead a it would he be time to study this other man n A As for her future she phe had no elins pi ins nt at nil joans life came to tier her ts is it comes to a child by at this time pro arr sper alis infinitely the more curious the more of tho two CHAPTER XII XH A matter of tate taste what mat anre you jou whitin so ao hard tor for mr knewl gael jonn joan bofo voiced d the question fon on MI the height of a long breath me drew it from a silence hence w st F t 1 cl pt 0 14 0 al it n 1 b I 1 r 24 f v 1 t r 1 1 tiny it seething with t 0 ni y t both bother or you worry your poor distracted head theres more in life than youve dreamed of experiencing exper fencing theres mui mili sic forone tiling ant and there are books and ben beauty uty of a thousand kinds hinds and big wonderful thoughts thouR thou ghis lits rind and theres taa 47 0 ja VO 1 pai 4 6 and in the meantime Her Education went on companionship and talk what larks wo we could have you nna 1 I if you would care can I 1 nivan mean tf if you would wake up alp find and let me show you how you do want to learn a won lonians womans ians work dont you joan she shook her licad lend slowly sniffing smiling wistfully im so awful ignorant you know so awful much it t scares me plumb scares scare me to think liow much you know more than sir well I 1 such books nil an books an books I 1 an too you see ill id I 1 lie je no help nor company for fer you ill id like to listen to you id listen all day long but id not lie he 1 lie faugl od at tier her joans pride was stung youve no right to at me silo she said td id not be enrin what ant you think and ana she left him moving like nn an angry stag head high light step ping before dinner he be rapped at her door joan will you ido do me a favor A pause then in her sweet vibrant voice olce she answered id be loin doln anything fer you sir onel ancl 11 then put on these th things shingi Ingi tor for dinner instead of your own clothes will you silo opened uio door anti and liv lie illel into tier her arms n mass of shining silk on in top of 0 it n pair of gorgeous chinese nese slippers do it to please me even it you think it makes you look queer wit will you joan of course courm she smiled looking 11 up from tho the gi gloaming cAming sliding stuff into ills his face ill id like to anyway dressing up tip fun and she shut the door she prend pread the silk out on the bell bed and found it a loose robe of dull blue embroidered in silver dragons and with brilliant rose there was a skirt of this same roso rose colored lored stuff in one weighted ted pocket slie she found a belt of filter colex anti a little vest of creamy lace there were wera rose silk ings inga stuffed into the shoes joan dy arrayed bersett ber seit she had bad le 40 with tile tho vest it was so BO filmy almy aguele ninde it seemed to her ter to wear it nt fit all she bile lind hull to divest il it altogether or of the upper part ier course coarse underwear then it led to her startlingly inadequate i ns as nn an undergarment however rolie robe ild did go over it and she drew lose close and belted it in it was bided with long sleeves and fell ter er tinkles silo she thrilled nt at tho the de taul clinging softness of silk gill for tile tho first time adin admired tred loep round ankles anti shapely the chinese slippers amused hut but they cro nil all pill em dered deml with flowers tind dragons ie felt she must leolf clr very queer ed and went to the mirror what saw there surprised lier because hs as so strange so alerre not dealt in compliments ills mn all was ills his and lie loved body to tins this body sur stir ered cred in love 0 o him would have impossible to the reverence and ve of his passion w joan brushed and colled tier her then starting toward the door ien I 1 en aitos announcement of din lady silo sho was quite suddenly by shyness eh gnoss from head oot ot for the first time in nil all tier she was acutely conscious of heri that codling prosper begun began to it was joans amazing beauty I 1 lie he stumbled wretchedly int into tho beof e of lilt his firelight tier her neck drawn 0 o its full length tier her head crolli crooned ca j with soft bInck musses tier her llda ills aped poll under the weight of shyness d fright ight in in tier her distended pupils let in tier her cheeks joans beauty ong strong lines draped to adran ro for the first time in soft and ing fabrics virt that touched tire the ing ig of prospers delighted egotism lle lie told anecdotes strange advert rea s lie ho drew pia own inverted mors morlie lie he sketched his fantastic opinions s lie was in truth fascinato fascinating fas cinat I 1 ng n speaking puking fare face n R little lithe brilliant presence a voice of edged persuasion she drew herself up straight in tho the big bl red lacquered chair sipped tier lier coffee in dainty imitation of him gave him the full deep tribute of tier her 9 ze asked for no explanations and let tile tho astounding statements lie he made the ammlung pictures he drew cut their way indelibly into her most sensitive and preserving presen ln memory afterward nt lit night for the first time she did not weep for pierre tho the old lost who had so changed into a torturer but wakeful wale ful her brain was on fire she pondered over and over the things she hail just heard feeling after their meaning laying lading aside for future enlightenment what was utterly incomprehensible arguing with herself as to the truth of half comprehended speeches an ignorant child wrestling with it modern philosophy tricked out in motley by a ready wit flit ife gave tier her pretty things thing whole quantities junn titles of them fine alno linen to bo be made up into underwear soft white and colored silks and crepes cerepes which joan remembering tile the few lessons in dressmaking slie she had had from maud aland upper and with some advice from prosper made up not too awkwardly accepting the mystery of them as one of prospers Iros pers magic makings and in the meantime her education went on prosper real rend aloud to tier tutored her scolded tier her so fiercely sometimes that joan would mount scarlet cheeks and open angry eyes one lay day she fairly hung flung tier her book from hr fier and ran put out of the room stamping her feet and shedding tears but back she camp presently for more thirsting for knowledge eager to meet her trainer on more equal grounds to be able ablerto toan nn siver him film to some purpose se to td contra enfin illet diet him to stagger ever so slightly the self assurance of lits ills superiority and prosper enjoyed the training of ills his captive leopardess though lie he sometimes nil but melted over the pathos of tier her ana had much ado to keep bia hands from her unconscious young beauty 0 it was a january night when joan tier her rough head almost in the ashes had rend read isabella and the alie pot of blell by the light of flames it was vai in march a gray still afternoon when looking through prospers bookcase sho she came upon the he tale again prosper was ns liu outdoors 1 cutting n tunnel freshly blocked with snow and jonn lnla finis finished lied the life of Cel cellini lint n writer she loathed but aboe gorgeous fabrications her roaster lind forced her to read now hurried to the bookshelves in search of something more to tier her taste she ha lind had the guy eay air of a returned ce cellini with alth n smart push and kneeling jiin ann her finger along tha tie linnas volumes linn cs pausing on a binding of bright blue and gold it yas tile the color colof that bri lie pleased her arr and the tao fiu fat square shape also alic th look of fair and well spaced paced type site took ellk book and squatted on ther the rug tig happy ns a n child with a new new toy of alif hl own choosing TO en coTT lOED |