The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-12-06
JOAN N443 IL SWORD HAND
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Copyright 1895 1904 ey r. Crocket)
CHAPTER XIV.

The Face That Looked Into Joans'
The chamber to which the Duchess
Joan was conducted by her hostess
had evidently been carefully prepar'
ed for her reception. 1t was large,
low room, with vaulted roof OF cary
en- wood. The work was OF great
merit and evidently old. A table with
a little prie-Dieu stood in the corner
screened by a curtain which ran on
a brazen rod. A Roman BreViary lay
on velvet-covered table before the
crucifix. Joan lifted it up and her
eyes fell on the words: by a woman
he overcame. BY woman he was
overcome. A woman was once MS
weapon. A woman is now become the
instrument of his defeat. He hndeth
that the weak vessel cannot be
broken"
Nor shall it," said Joan, looking
at the cross before her, by the
strength of Mary the Mother, the weak
vessel shall not he broken!"
As she stopped to blow out the last
candle, a motto on the stem caught
her eye. Joan took the candle out OF
its socket and read the inscription
word by word
"Da pacem, Domino, in diebus nos
iris"
1t was her own scroll, the motto of
the reigning dukes of Hohenstein-a
strange one, doubtless, to be that OF
a fighting race but, nevertheless, her
fathers and her own.
What did her fathers motto, the
device of her house, upon this Baltic
island, far from the highlands of
Kernsberg? Had these wastes once
belonged to men of her race? And
this woman, who so regally played the
mistress of this strange hermitage,
who was she?
And as Joan of Hohenstein blew out
the candle she mused in her heart
concerning these things.
The Duchess Joan slept soundly, her
dark. boyish head pillowed on the
full rounded curves of an arm thrown
behind her. On the little velvet.
covered table beside the bed were her
belt and its dependent sword, faith
full companion in its sheath of plain
black leather. Under her pillow, and
within instant reach of her right hand
was her fathers dagger.
In their chamber in the wing which
looks toward the north the three cap
tains lay wrapped in their mantles
Jorian and Boris answering each other
like Alp calling to Alp. Werner von
! Orseln alone could not sleep, and
after he had sworn and kicked his
! noisy companions in the ribs till he
was weary of the task, he rose and
went to the window to cast open the
lattice. The air within felt thick ant
hot. AS Werner set his face to the
opening quick flashes of summer light
! ming famed alternately white and lilac
across the horizon, and he felt the
spit of hailstoues in his face, driving
level like so many musket-balls wher
the infantry fires by platoons
Above, in the vaulted chamber
Joan turned over on her bed, murmur
ing uneasily in her sleep. A whit,
face, which for quarter of an hou
had been bent down to her dark heat
as 1t lay on the pillow, was suddenl!
retracted into the darkness at thu
girls slight movement.
Again, apparently reassured, tn
shadowy visage approached as tn
young duchess lay without furthe
motion. Suddenly, and for no appal
ent reason, Joan's eyes opened, an
she found herself looking with be
wilderment into a face that ben
down upon her, white face whic
somehow seemed TO hang suspende