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Show THERANDINGIRON .. - CHAPTER IX Continued. 22 "He Is tired of you, Betty. He loves Jane West." Jasper laughed shortly, looking at the tableau they made: Prosper white, caught In the teeth of honor, his face set to hide Us secret, Betty reading his eyes, his soul. "I am entirely yours, In your hands," said Prosper Gael. Betty shook his arm and let It go. "You are lying. You love the woman. Do you think I can't see?" "It will be a very strange divorce suit," went on Jasper. "Your lawyers, Betty, will perhaps prove your case. My lawyers will certainly prove mine, and, when we find ourselves free, our our lovers will then unite In holy matrimony rather an original outcome." out-come." "Will you go, Prosper?" asked Betty. It was a command. He saw that, at that moment, his presence was Intolerable to her. "Of course. If you wish It. Jasper, you know where to find me, and, Betty," lie turned to her with a weary tenderness "forgive me and make use of me, (f you will, as yon will." He went out quickly, feeling himself a coward to leave her, knowing that he would be a coward to stay to watch the anguish of ber broken heart and pride. For an Instant he did hesitate and look bark. They were standing together, calmly, man and wife. What could he do to help them, he that had By Katharine Newlin Burt Copyright by Katharine N. Burt money, donations wanted for a building, build-ing, chprch or hospital or library. Jasper Jas-per In Imagination wrote out a generous gen-erous check. Before going down he glanced at the card again and noticed some lines across the back : 'This is to Introduce one of my best friends, Pierre Landls, of Wyoming. Please be of service to him. Ills mission mis-sion has and deserves to have my full sympathy." So, after all, It wasn't Holllwell below be-low and the checkbook would not be needed. "Pierre Landls of Wyoming." Jasper went down the stairs and on the way he remembered a letter received re-ceived from Y a mail a long time before. be-fore. He remembered it with an accession ac-cession of alarm. "I've probably let h 1 loose for your protegee, Jane; given your address, and Incidentally hers, to a fellow who wants her pretty badly. His name's Pierre Landls. You're a pretty good Judge of white men. Size him up and do what's best for Jane." For some time after receiving this letter, Jasper had expected the appearance ap-pearance of this Pierre Landls, then had forgotten him. The fellow who wanted Jane so badly had been a long while on his way to her. Remembering Remember-ing and wondering, the manager opened the crimson curtains and atannorl intrt tha nrosenne if IMorr Morena smiled kindly. "You've coma a long way, Mr. Landls, on an uncertain uncer-tain ty." "Yes. sir." Pierre did not smile. He was holding himself steady. "But I'm used to uncertainty. There ain't no uncertainty that can keep me from seekln' after the person I want." He paused, the eyes still fixed upon Morena, Mo-rena, who, uncomfortable under them, veiled himself thinly In cigarette smoke. "I want to see i this Jane," Pierre ended gently. "Nothing easier, Landls. 'I'll give you a ticket to 'The Leopardess.' She Is 'acting the title part. She Is my lending lady and a very extraordinary young actress. Of course, It's none of my business, but In a way I am Miss West's guardian " "Miss West?" "Yes. That Is Jane's name Jane West. You think It Is an assumed one?" Pierre stood up. "I'm not thlnkln' on this trip," he said; "I'm hoptn'." "I am sorry, but I am afraid you're j on the wrong track. There may be a resemblance, there may even be a marked resemblance, between Miss West and the person you want to find, but again please forgive me I am In the place of guardian to her at present pres-ent and I should like to know something some-thing of your business, enough of It, that Is, to be sure that your sudden appearance, If you happen to be right in your surmise, won't frighten my leading lady out of her wits and send her off to Kalamazoo on the next train." Pierre evidently resented the fashion fash-ion of this speech. "I'm sorry," he said with dignity, "not to be able to tell broken their lives? Betty turned to Jasper, still with the mufT before her mouth, looking at him above it with her wide, childlike, desperate eyes. Even if he had had no foreknowledge, foreknowl-edge, Jasper felt that, at sight of his visitor, his fancy would have Jumped to Joan. It was the eyes; he had seen you anything. I'll be careful not to frighten Miss West. I can see her first from a distance an' then" "Certainly. Certainly." Jasper rang and directed his man to pet an envelope from an upstairs table. When It came, he handed It to Pierre. "That Is a ticket for tomorrow night's performance. It's the best seat I can give you, though It Is not very near the stage. However, you will certainly cer-tainly be able to recognize your Jane, if she is your Jane." Pierre pocketed the ticket. "Thank you," he murmured.' His face was expressionless. ex-pressionless. Jasper was making rapid plans. "Oh, by the way," he said hurriedly, "If you should stand near the stage exit tonight, to-night, say at about twelve o'clock, you could see Miss West come out and get Into her motor. That would give you a fairly close view. But even if you find you are mistaken, Landls, be sure to see The Leopardess.' It's well worth your while. You're going? Wont you dine with me tonight?" "No, thank you. I wouldn't be carln' to- tonight. I I reckon Pve got this matter too much on my mind. Thank you very much, Mr. Morena." "Before you go, tell me about Holllwell. Hol-llwell. He was a good friend of mine." "lie was a cood friend to most every "What do you get out or tins, jasper? jas-per? I will go to Woodward. I will never come back to you. . . . Is it revenge?" "If so," said Jasper, "It isn't yet complete. Betty, you have been rash to pit yourself against me. You must have known that I would break you utterly. I will break you, my dear, and I will have you back, and will be your master instead of your servant, and I will love you" "You must be mad. I'm afraid of you. Please let me go." "Iu a moment, when you have learned what home you have to go to. This morning I had an interview with your brother In his office, and he wrote this letter that I have In my pocket and asked me to give It to you." Betty laid down her muff, showing at last the pale and twisted mouth. Jasper watched her read her brother's letter, and his eyes were as patient and observant as -the eyes of a skillful doctor who has given a dangerous but necessary draught. Betty read the small, sharp, careful care-ful writing, very familiar to her. "I have Instructed your maid to pack your things and to return at once to your husband's house. He Is a much too merciful man. You have treated him shamelessly. I can find no excuse for you. My house Is definitely defi-nitely closed to you. I will send you no money, allow you no support, countenance coun-tenance you In no way. This Is final. You have only one -course, to return humbly and with penitence to your husband, submit yourself to him, and learn to love and honor and obey him as he deserves. The evidence of your guilt Is Incontrovertible. I utterly disbelieve dis-believe your story against him. It Is part of your sin, and It Is easily to be explained in the light of my present knowledge of your real character. Whether you return to Morena or not, f emphatically reassert that I will not see you or speak to you again. You are to my mind a woman .of shameless life, such a woman as I should feel Justified la turning out of any deoent household. t- "WOODWARD KANE." The room turned giddily about one he knowed. He was more than that to nie." "Then he's been a success out there?" I'lerre medHated over the words. "Success? Why, yes, I Teckon he's been all of that." "A difficult mission, Isn't It? Trying Try-ing to bring you fellows to God?" Pierre smfled. "I reckon we get closer to God out there than you do here. We sure get the fear of Him even If we don't get nothln' else. When you fight winter an' all outdoors en' come near to death with hosses an' what-not, why, I guess you're gettln' close to somethln' not quite to be explained. ex-plained. Holllwell, he's a first-class sin-buster, best I ever knowed." Morena laughed. He was beginning to enjoy his visitor. "Sin-buster?'1 "That's one name fer a parson. Well, sir, I guess Holllwell is plumb close to beln' a prize devil-twister." "Tell me how you first met him. It ought to be a good story." But the young man's face grew bleak at this. "It ain't a good story, sir," he said grimly. "It ain't anything any-thing like that. I must wish you goodby, an' thank you kludly." "But you'll let me see you again? Where are you stopping? HolUwell's friends are mine." Pierre gave hlui the address of a small, -downtown hotel, thanked blm bkuIu, and, standing In the hall, added, "If I'm wrong In the notion that brought sue to New York, I'll be goln' back ngala to my ranch, Mr. Morena. I'm goln' back to raochin' on the old homestead. I've got It fixed up." He seemed to look through Jasper Into an enormous distance. Morena was almost al-most uncannily aware of the long, long Journey by which this man's spirit had trodden, of the desert be faced ahead of him if the search must fall. Was It wrong to warn Jane? Ought this man to be given his chance? Surely here stood before him Jane's mute. Jasper wished that he knew more of "What Else la There for Ale to Do? She Said. no others but hers like them for clarity; clar-ity; far-seeing, grave eyes that held a curious depth of light Here was one of Joan's kindred, one of the clean, wild things. Then came the gentle western drawl. "I'm right sorry to trouble you, Mr. Morena." Jasper took a brown hand that had the feel of Iron. The man's (face, on a level with Jasper's, was very brown and lean. It had a worn look, a trifle desperate, perhaps, in the Hues of Up and the expression of the smoke-colored eyes. Jasper, sensitive J undercurrents, under-currents, became aware that be stood in some fashion for a forlorn hope In the life of tills Pierre. At tl same time the manager remembered .a confidence con-fidence of Jane's. She had been "afraid of some one." She had been running away. There was one that mustn't find ber, and to run away from him, that was the business of Iter Jife. I'lerre Landls was this "tine," the something wild and clean that iiud at last come searching ewn Into this city. It us necessary that Jane's present protector sltould be very careful care-ful There must be no ruining away this time, aad Pierre must W warned oT. Jasper bad plana of bis own for his star player. For one thing she must draw Prosper Gael completely out of Betty's life. Jasper made bis guest comfortable, sat oppoite him, and lighted a cigarette. cig-arette. Although Pierre fcad accepted one, he did not smoke. He was far too disturbed. "Frank Holllwell gave me a note to you, Mr. Morena. I got your address some years ago from Yarnall, of I.azy-Y ranch, Middle Fork, Wyoming. I've been gettln' my affairs Into shape ever since, so that I could come east. I don't rightly know whether Yarnall would have wrote to you concernln' me or no." "Yes. He did write Just a line two years ago." Pierre studied his own long, brown hands, turning the soft hat between them. When he lifted his eyes, they were Intensely blue. It was as though blue fire bad consumed the smoke. "I've been takln' after a girl. She was culled Jane on Yuiniill's ranch an' she w-as cook there for the outfit. Nobody No-body knowed her story nor her name. She left the mornlu' I fame in an' I didn't set eyes on her. You were takln' her east to teach her to play-act for you. I don't know whether you done so or not, but I've come here to learn where she Is so that I can find "Ut If she's the woman I'm tonkin' for." Betrjr. She saw tJie whole roaring city turn about her, and she lanew tiiirt there was no home In it for ber. She could go to Prosper Gael, but at what j horrible sacrifice of pride, and. If Jus-' rr now refused to bring suit, could be ask this man, who ao longer loved bfr, to keep her as his mistress? What could she do? Where could she turn? How could she keep herself alive? For the first time, life, stripped of everything hut Its hard r and ugly bones, faced ber. She had always been sheltered, been dependent, been i loved. Once before she had lost cour-' cour-' age and had. failed to venture beyond the familiar shelter of custom and convention. con-vention. Now, she was aaln most horribly afraid. Anything was better than this feeling of being lost, alone. She looked at Jasper. At that moment he was nothing but a protector, a means of life, and he knew It. "Will you come home with me now?" he asked her bitterly. Betty forced the twisted mouth to speech. "What else la there for me to do?" she said. CHAPTER X The Clean Wild Thing. "The Reverend Francis Holllwell." Morena turned the card over and over in his hand. "Holllwell. Holllwell. Frank Holllwell." Yes. One of the fellows that had dropped out. ltlg, athletic ath-letic youngster; left collepe in his Junior year and studied for the ministry, minis-try, line chap. Popular. Jasper tried to remember. He'd heard something about Frank. Oh, yes. The young clergyman had given up a fashionable parish In the esst small Norman church, wealthy parishioners, splendid stipend, beautiful stone Norman rectorythrown rec-torythrown It all up to go west on some unheard-of mission In the sagebrush. sage-brush. He was back now, probably for the history buck of Pierre and the girl, A man could do little but look out for his own interests, when he worked In the dark. Which would be the better man for Jane? this Jane so trained, so educated, so far removed super-flclnlly super-flclnlly from the ungratnmatlcaL bronzed, clumsily dressed, graceful visitor. In every worldly respect, doubtless. Prosper Oael. Only there was Pierre's eyes and the soul looking out of them. Jasper said goodby half-absently. An hour inter he went to call on Jane. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |
