Show THE B BRANDING KAND nag IRON by katharine newlin burt by kathrn N borl bar d SHE LEAVE LETTER joan landis eighteen years old id wife of pierre alerre Is the daughter of john carver who murdered her mother for adultery her lonely life with her father in a wyoming cabin unbearable joan leaves him to work in a hotel in a nearby town joan meets pierre and the two mutually attracted tr are married carver tells pierre story of joans moth mother er pierre forges a cattle brand frank holliwell Holl lwell young minister presents books to joan pierre forbids her to read them tied mad bened by jealousy pierre ties joan and burns the two bar brand into her shoulder hearing her screams a stranger bursts into the house and shoots pierre the stranger revives joan telling her pierre Is dead urges her to go with him at the rt rangers home joans injuries are arc attended to she Is ILI introduced to a now new world of books and fine clothing by the stranger prosper gale a writer gale becomes interested in joan who responds in part CHAPTER XIII continued 10 theres books about everything every aint a nt there there ur gael why theres books about biotin an sickness an about cattle an whatnot what not an about women an children she was shirking the knowledge of her case but at pt last she pressed her lips together and opened the book she fell to reading rowing growing anxiety possessed her face she sat flown down on the nearest chair she turned page after page suddenly she gave him film a look ionic of anger 1 I aint none of this sir mr gael she r said a id smote the page rose with dignity and returned the book bonk lie he laughed so long and heartily that she was at last forced to join him you was you were me you she said sighing relief did you know what that volume said it said like this ill read you abols it she took the volume found th the place and read in a low tone of horror he helping her with the hard words one of the most frequent forms of phobia common in cases of psychic neurasthenia Is agro phobia in which patients the moment they come into an open space are oppressed by an exaggerated feeling of anxiety they may break into a profuse perspiration and assert that they feel as if chained to the ground I 1 and here listen to this the fear that high things will fall fear of thunder and lightning the fear of every p ra thing and everyone well now k aint that too awful an you mean folks really get that way their talk was for some time of nervous dase diseases ases joans horror increasing well wel 1 sir said she lead me out an shoot me if I 1 get like that I 1 believe its caused by all that queer dressen an hatnot hat not I 1 feet feel like real today in this shirt an all an when I 1 got get through some work ill feel a whole lot better dont you fay cay im one of those nervous breakdowns again though will you she pleaded vo no I 1 wont joan but dont make one of me will you hows avis that by wearing those clothes all day and half the night it if you expect me to teach you have to do something for me to make up for running away you might put on pretty things for dinner dont you think your nervous system could stand that my nervous system drawled J joan oan and added startlingly tor for she did not often swear C G dl it was an oath of scorn and again prosper laughed but he heard beard with a sort of terror the sound of her rians work to which she energetically applied herself it meant the return of her strength of her independence it meant the shortening of her captivity before long spring would rush up the canyon in a wave of melting snow enow crested with dazzling green and the valley would lie ile open to joan she would go unless tind had ie he really failed so go utterly to touch her heart was she without passion this woman with the deep savage ebes the lips so sensuous and pure the body so magnificently made for living site she was not defended by any training she find no moral standards no prejudices none ot of the ideals she was completely open to approach a savage if he failed it was a personal failure perhaps he had been too subtle too restrained I 1 she did not yet know perhaps what he desired of her but he be was afraid of rousing tier her hatred which would be fully as simple and as savage as her love that evening after she had dressed to please him and sat in her chair tired hut but with the ohp beautiful clean look of outdoor weariness ebs on her face and tried battling with drowsiness to give her mind to his reading and his talk lie came to her and knelt down 1 drawing down her hands to him pressing his forehead on them for a moment she was vas stiff and still then what la Is it mr bael set she asked in a frightened half balf voice he fie felt through her body the slight recoil of spirit and drew away and nrose to tits feet youre angry HP laughed oh no im not angry why should I 1 be im a superman im made lets spy nay of alabaster women with treat eyes and wonderful voices and the beauty of broad nymphs walking calking gravely down under kinder forest idt r arches such women give me only a great great longing to read aloud very slowly and carefully a childs history Ill story of the english lt acel ditc itc c took the book tossed it across the room then stood ashamed and defiant laughing a little a boy in disgrace joan looked at him in profound bewilderment and dawning distress dis aress now slie she said you are angry with me you always are when you ta that east queer way ny wont you please explain it to me sir mr gael nol noi sa said id he sharply 1 I wont and he added after f r moment better go to bed youre sleepy and as stupid as an owl oh 1 1 yes and youve destroyed what little superstitious belief I 1 had bad left concerning something they tell little ignorant boys about a wom ins intuition you got a bit youre stupid and im tired of you no joan im not dont mind me im only in furl fun please D nl ive hurt your feelings her lips were quivering her eyes full 1 I try so awful hard she said it was a lovely broken trail aral of music dear child I 1 joan dont you ever think of roc me yes yes all the while im thinking of you I 1 wisht I 1 could z do more for you why do I 1 make you 8 so 0 angry I 1 know im awful awfully stupid and ignorant Ign rt 1 I 1 I must arise you most crazy but truly here the she turned quickly in his arm and put her hands about his neck and told laid her ber cheek against his shoulder truly mr gael rm im awful fond of you then she drew quickly away quivered hack back into the other corner of her grett great chair put tier her face to her hands bands orlly I 1 cant help heeln alerre just tier tone shoed him that still and ghastly youth and again le he taw saw the brown hand that moed ile he had stood between her and that sight sl the man ought to have died ile he did not deserve his life nor this love of hors hers even though he be had failed to kill the man he be would not fall to kill her love for him sooner or later thought prosper if only the hateful would gave him film time lie he must moya mova her from her memory she had pul pu her hands about his neck she had laid her head against his and if it had bad been the action of a child then she would not have from him with that sharp memory cf pierre joan had bad made her plans she would wait till spring partly t to 0 get back her full strength partly to make further pro eress ress in her studies but P she was truly sorry that she had hurt him by running away mostly in order not to hurt this hospitable prosper gael the of her gratitude 0 of her delicate consideration for ills feelings which continually triumphed over an instinctive fear would have filled him with amusement perhaps with tion alon had he been capable of understanding them she was truly sorry that she had hurt him by running anav she told herself she would not do that again in the spring slie she would make him a speech of thankfulness and of farewell ano and then she would tramp back to pierre homestead and win and hold pierres res land As yet you see prosper entered very little into tier her cons enns clou clon life somewhere far down in her there was a disturbance a growing doubt a something vague find and troubling joan had not learnt to her own heart A sensation was wan not or it was she was puzzled by the feeling prosper was beginning tn in adise gausp her a feeling of miserable complexity but she was not yet mentally equipped for the confronting of complexity it was necessary for an emotion to rush at joan and throw down dowil Rs a it were her heart before she recognized it even then she might not give it a name she would act however and with violence so now she planned and worked and grew beautiful with work and planning while prosper worked too and his bl instruments were delicate and deadly and his plans made no account of hers he worked on her subena selous ness undermining her path and at nights and to in her sleep she grew aware of him but even now in bin cool and pa paip heart there were moments moment of t reaction one at last that came near to wrecking tits ills purpose your tour clothes are about done for joan lt prosper laughed one morning watching her belt in her tattered shirt soon look like beggar beggar mild maid im not quite barefoot yet she held up a cracked boot 11 1 I was going to tell yon that there are A skirt skirl and a sort of coat in in a closet in the hall do you want to use them she wont went out to look in ove five minutes he heard her laugh and still laughing she opened the door again oh mr air gael were you really thinking that I 1 could wear these look rie ile turned and looked at her she had crowded her strong lithe frame into n cronn tweed suit a world too narrow for her and she was laughing to show him the misfit these things sir mr gael she said hev bey must have been made for a tall wild prosper had too ton far tempted Us lils maln and in her vivid phrase it came to life before him she had pained pain td a picture and he had seen that thal 1 suit so small and trim before jan saw his face grow white his big eyes stared through her ne lie drew n u quick breath and winced awny away from her tiding hiding ills his face in his hands A moment later lie he was weeping convulsively with violence his head down detwei bet wei his hands joan started toward him but he be made it a wicked and repellent gesture she fled into her town and sat bewildered on tier her bed all AH av at once the question come came to her for icham bad the delicate fabrics been bought for whom had bad this suit been matle it was his wife and she Is dead thought joan and very pitifully sh took off the suit stilt laid it and the oilier things away and sitting by her birdow rested her chin in her hands and ana stared out through the blue pines tears ran down her face because she yas aas so fo sorry for prospers pain and ana again thought joan she had enticed it she who owed him ever thing Ys she was deeply sorry for prosper deeply her whole heat heart t was stirred for the first time she had a longing to comfort him with her hands for all chilt day prosper fled the house and wit across the coun country now fording a flood of melted snow now floundering through a drift now walking on springy sod unaware of the soft spring conscious only of a sort of fire in his breast ile he suffered and he resented his suffering and he be would have killed ills his heart if by so doing he could hare given it peace and all day he be did not once think of joan but only of the tall child for whom the gay canyon refuge had bad been built but who had never set her slim foot upon the threshold sunset found him miles away in the foothills of a low many folded range across the plain lie ile was dog tired so that for very exhaustion his brain had stopped its tormenting work lit a fire and sat by it huddled huddle in his coat smoking dozing not able really to io sleep for cold and hunger prosper hated the night and its beautiful desolation he be hated the god that had made tills land lie ile cursed the lawn dawn when it came delicately spreading a green are arc of radiance across the east cast and then as he be arose stiffly stamped out ills his fire ind and started slowly on ills his way back he was conscious of a passionate homesickness not for the old life he fie had lost but for his cabin his bright hearth ills shut im it solitude his big joan very dear and and human she was and her bad been sweet and she must be anxious about him she would have sat up by the fire nil all ills eagerness for her alighted comfort gave his lagging steps a certain vigor the long walk back seemed very long indeed noon was hot lot but he found water and by sundown ne be came to the canyon trail lie he wanted joan as badly now ns As a hurt child wants its mother ile he came ling haggard gard and breathless to the door called joan came into the warm little room and found it empty wen ilo ho to be sure pattered to meet him mister blister gael been gone a long time velly long all night wen iio ho he be fix fit bed fix breakfast oh the lady ladal slie she gone out ye not come back she leave a letter tor for him there on the table prosper took it waved wen no ilo out and dropping into the big chair opened the paper there was jonns jonna ble big handwriting that he himself had taught her before she could only sign her name ulster blister gael dere trend frend you have ben too good to me an it has ben too hard for or you to keep we when you were all the wile tier her an it hurts hurt me to think of how it must bore bare ben terrible hard for you yon all this winter to see me where you had bad ben to heeln her an me her pretty things all the wile wife now dere trend frend this must not be no more I 1 win will not stay to trouble you you tou have ben awful freehearted free hearted when you come hack back from your wan wander dern ln an tryla to get over your bein so unhappy you ton will find your house quiet an peaceful an you will not cot be hurt by me no more I 1 nm am not able to say all I 1 am feelen about your goodness an I 1 hev her not always ben as kind to you in my thoughts an but that has haa ben my own fault not yours I 1 want you to beleal this mister 1611 ster gael I 1 am coln back to pierres res s ranch to work on tits his land an some day I 1 will be hopin to see you yot come riden in an I 1 will keep on kearnin as well as I 1 can no an robbe you will not be ashamed of me I 1 feel awful bad to go but I 1 would feel feet more bad to I 1 stay when it must hurt you 8 sa 1 JOAN I 1 TO B BE E C D vr |