The Arvada enterprise., 1923-11-08
CHAPTER VII
Oellrlum,

still and uneventful lives who are best
prepared for emergencies. They are
not trained to face crises. to make
prompt and Just decisions. Joan had
made but two such resolutions In her
life: the first when she had followed
Pierre. the second when she had kept
Holliwell's books In defiance OF her
husbands jealousy. The leaving her
father had been the result OF lona
and painful thought. Now, In n few
hours, events had crashed about hcf
so that her whole life, outer and In.
ner. had been shattered. Beyond the
pain and fever Of her wound there was
an utter confusion Of her faculties.
Before she tainted she had, indeed,
made distinct resolve to leave Pierre.
1t was this purpose. working subcon.
sciously on her will, as much as the
urgent pressure OF the stranger, that
took her past Plerre's body out into
the dawn and sent her on that rasl
journey of hers In the footsteps Of
an unknown man. This being seemed
to her then hardly human. Mysteri
ously he had stepped In out of the
night, mysteriously he had condemned
Pierre, and in sef-defense. for Joar
had seen Pierre draw his gun and fire
he had killed her husband Now. just
as mysteriously, as inevitably /,
seemed to her, he took command OF
her life. She was passive, ship
wrecked thing-a derelict.
AS the silent day slowly frightened
through It's glare of clouds. she plod.
ded on, setting her snowshoes in the
tracks her leader made. The pain In
her shoulder steadily increased, more
She did not know that they were trav.
cling north and west toward the wild.
est and most desolate country, that
every time she set down her foot she
set II down farther from humanity.
She began soon to be a little light.
headed and thought that she was fol.
lowing Pierre.
At noon they entered the woods, and
her guide came behind her and led her
through fallen timber and past pitfalls
Of soft snow. Suddenly. II can't go
no more" she sobbed. and stopped,
swaying. At that he took her in his
arms and carried her few hundred
feet till they entered cabin under
the shelter Of frs.
"It's the rnnger-station." said he:
''the ranger told me that could make
use Of 1t on my way back. We can
pass the night here"
Joan knew that he had carried her
across a strange room and put her on
a strange bed. He took OF her snow
shoes, and she lay watching him light
a fire In the cold. clean stove and
cook meal from supplies left by the
owner Of the house. She was trying
now to remember who he was, what
had happened. and why she was In
such misery and pain. Sometimes she
knew that he was her father and that
ahs was at home In that wretched
shack up Lone river. and an ineffable
satisfaction would relax her cramped
mind; sometimes, Just a. clearly. she
knew that he was Pierre who had
taken her away to some strange place,
and, In this certainty, she WAS even
more content. But always the hor-
rIble flame on her shoulder burnt her
again to the confusion OF hnlf-con-
seriousness. He wasn't John Carver.
he wasn't Pierre. Who. In Gods name,
was he? And why was she here alone
with him? She could not frame n
question; she had fear that, II she
began to speak. she would scream and
rave, would tell impossible, secret
things. So she held herself to silence,
to a savage wntchfulness, to II battle
with delirium.
The man brought her n cup Of
strong coffee and held up her head so
that she could drink II. but II nnu-
scnted her and she thrust II weakly
awny, nsking for cold water. After
she had drunk this. her mind cleared
for an instant: she tried TO stand up.
~ must go back TO Pierre now" she
said. looking nbout with wild but rcso-
Lutte eyes.
"LIe STILL" snid the stranger gently.
"You're not ut to stir. Trust me. It's
all right. You're quite snfe. Get rested
and well. then you mny go wherever
you like. l want only TO help you"
The reassurlng tone. the promising
words cOerccd her and she dropped
bnck. Presently. In spite Of pain, she
slept.
She woke and slept In fever for
mnny hours, vnguely aware. nj times,
that she wns travelling. She felt the
motion Of n sled under her and knew
that she was lying on warm hide Of
some freshly killed benst and that q
blanket md n cnnvns covering protect.
cd her from swirl Of snow. Then she
thought she heard n voice babbling
queerly md saw n face quite terribly
different from other human fnccs. The
covering was taken from her. snow.
flakes touched her cheek, n lantern
shone In her eyes. md she was lIf,cd
and carried into n wnrm, plcnsnnt'
t.l.