The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-10-12

Something for you. leopardess," hs
said-he had told her his first impress
sion of her.
She took the box haughtily and
walked with II over to her chair. But
he came and kissed her.
jealous of my mail? You foolish
child. What a girl-thing you arel 1t
doesn't matter. does II, how we train
you or leave you unframed. you're all
alike, you women. under your skins.
Open your box and thank me prettily,
and leave matters you don't under
stand alone. That's the way to talk,
isn't it?"
She flushed and smiled rather doubt
fully, but, at sight OF his gift, she for
got everything else for a moment. IL
was a collar of topaz and emerald
set In heavy silver. She was awe
struck by It's beauty, and went, after
he had fastened II for her, to stand
long while before the glass looking
at It. She wore her yellow dress cut
into V at the neck and the jewels
rested beautifully at the base OF her
long. round throat, family brown like
her face up to the brow. The yellow
and the green brought out all the
value of her grave scarlet lips, the
soft, even tints of her skin, the dark
lights and shadows of hair and eyes.
"Its beautiful" she said. tits won
derful. l love IT,"
All the time very grave and still. she
took II off, put It on Its box, and laid
it on the mantel. Then she went out
Of doors.
Prosper hurried to the window and
saw her walk out to the garden they
had made and begin her work. he
was puzzled by her manner, but pres
emily shrugged the problem Of her
mood away and went back to his mail.
That night he finished his novel and
got 1t ready for the publisher.
Again Wen Ho, calm and uncom-
planning. was sent out over the hill,
and again the idyll was renewed, and
Joan wore the collar and was almort
as happy as before. Only one night
she startled Prosper.
81 asked Pierre" she said slowly,
after a silence, in her low-pitched
voice. "when he was taking me away
home, I asked, Where are you goingT
and he said to me. Don't you savvy
the answer to that question, Joan?'
And, Prosper, I didn't savvy, so he
told me and he looked at me sort of
hard and stern, We're a-goin' to be
married, JOAN"
Prosper and Joan were sitting be-
fore the fire, Joan on the bearskin at
his feet, he lounging back, long-legged
smoke-veiled in one of the lacquered
chairs. She had been lingering her
collar and she kept on lingering 1t as
she spoke and staring straight into
the flames, but, at the last, quoting
Pierre's words and tone, her voice and
face quivered and she looked at him
with eyes Of mysterious pain. in them
a sort of uncomprehended anguish.
"Why was that, Prosper?" she
asked; 81 mean, why did he say it that
way? And what-what does 1t stand
for, marrying or mott"
Prosper jerked little in his chair.
"Well, Joan, I'll go into the subject
with you one of these days, when the
weather isn't so beautiful. It's really
a matter of law, property rights, and
so forth. Come out and look at the
moon"
'LIstenw They stood side by side
at the door. "Some silly bird thinks
that is the dawn. Look at me, Joanw
She lifted obedient eyes.
"Therel That's better. Don't get
that other look 1 can't bear 1t. I
love you"
A moment later they went out into
the sweet, silver silence down to the
silver lake.
Four months later the name Of Pros
per Gael began to be on everyone's
lips, and before everyone's eyes; the
world, his world. began to clamor for
him. Even Wen Ho grumbled at this
going out on tremendous journeys
after the mail for which Prosper grew
more and more greedy and impatient
His novel, THE Canyon" had been
accepted. was enormously advertised, |
had made an extraordinary success.
All this he explained to Joan. who
tried to rejoice because she saw that
II was exquisite delight to Prosper.
He was by way If thinking now that
his exile, his Wyoming adventure, was
to thank for his success, but when a
woman, even such a woman as Joan,
begins to feel that she has been q
useful emotional experience, there be-
gins pain. For Joan pain began and
daily 1t increased. It was suffering
for her TO watch Prosper reading his
letters, forwarded to him from the
western town where his friends and
his secretary believed him to be re-
covering from some nervous illness; to
watch him smoking and thinking OF