The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-09-28
CHAPTER xI-continued.

He stood up near her feet at tn,
strument under his chin and played
1t was the "Aubade Provencale," ant
he played 1t creditably, with fair skill
and with some Of the wizardry thai
his nervous vitality gave to every
thing he did. At the first note Joan
started her pupils enlarged, she lay
still. AT the end he saw that she was
quivering and In tears.
He knelt down beside her, drew the
hands from her face. "Why, Joan,
what's the matterl Don't you like
muster"
Joan drew a shaken breath. TITS
as If II shook me In here, something
trembles In my heart" she said II
never heered music before. Jest whis-
tim" And again she wept.
Prosper stayed there on his knee be-
side her. his chin In his hand. What
an extraordinary being this was, what
magnificent wilderness. The thought
of exploration, Of discovery, of Guilt
walton, filed him with excitement and
delight. Such opportunities are rare
ly given to a man. Even that other
most beautiful adventure-yes, he
could think this already might have
been tame beside this one. He looked
long at Joan, long into the fire, and
She lay still, with the brooding beau
ty of that first-heard melody upon
her face.
1t was the frst music she had ever
heard, except whistlin'," but there
had been a great deal Of "whistlin'"
about the cabin up Lone river; wills
Ting of robins In spring-nothlng |
sweeter-the chordlike whistlings of |
thrush and vireo after sunset. that |
bubbling marguerite" with which |
the blackbirds woo. and the light dl-
minuendo with which the blueblrd ca
ressed the air after an April flight |
Perhaps Joan's musical faculty was
less unframed than any other. After
all. that "Aubade Provencale" was just
the melodious story of the woods in
spring. Every note linked itself to an
emotional, subconscious memory 1t
filled Joan's heart with the freshness
of childhood and panied her only be-
cause 1t struck a spear Of delight into
her pain. She was eighteen, she had
grown like a tree. drinking In sunshine
and storm, but rooted to solitude
where very little else but sense-experi-
ance could reach her mind She had
seen tragedies Of animal life, lonely
ieath-struggles, horrible flights and
more horrible captures, she had seen
Joyous wooings. love-pinlngs, partings,
md bereavements. She knew that the
'un shone on the evil and on the good,
tut she knew also that frost fell upon
he good as well as upon the evil, nor
vas the evil to be readily distinguished.
Ter father prated of only one offense, 4
vas a mans right to kill his woman
or "dealin's with another man." This C
aw was human; II evidently did not v
old good with animals. There was C
o bitterness, though some ferocity, In a
he traffic OF their loves. "
While she pondered through the first y
eepless nights In this strange shelter
hers, and while the blizzard Prosper W
ad counted on drove bayoneted bat y
lions of snow across the plains and n
reed them, screaming like madmen, m
ong the narrow canyon, Joan came W
owly and fully to a realization OF A
lie motive of Pierre's deed. He had h,
zen jealous. He had thought that she III
as having dealings with another bl
an. She grew hot and shamed. II
as her fathers sin, that branding on W
II shoulder. or, perhaps, going back
rther, her mothers sin. Carver had sh
armed Pierre-of the hot and smoth- IN
ed heart-to beware of Joan's 'look- an
an lookin' at another man." Now of
piteous woman fashion, Joan went
er and over her memories of Pierre's do
We, altering them to fit her terrible
perience. She was still held by all w
, strong mesh of her short married mi
e. She had simply not got as far as
osper Gael. She accepted his hospi. no,
lily vaguely. himself even more vo,
guely. When she would be done
tn her passionate grief, her labori- int
5 going-over Of the past. her active on
d tormenting anger with the lover no,
om Prosper had told her was dead
N 1t would be time 10 study this thi
Ter man. AS for her future. she had 70,
plans at ALL Joan's life came to q
: as 1t comes TO child, unsullied fro
curiosity. At this time Prosper was his
more curious, the more ing
tied OF the two.