The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1923-09-21
CHAPTER VII
Delirlur.

| Stiii anu uneNenllui lives VINO are pest
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
and painful thought. Now, in a few
hours, events had crashed about her
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 Pierre's body out into
the dawn and sent her on that rash
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 self-defense, for Joan
had seen Pierre draw his gun and fire,
he had killed her husband. Now, just
as mysteriously, as inevitably 1t
seemed to her, he took command of
her life. She was a passive, ship
wrecked thing-a derelict.
AS the silent day slowly frightened
through its glare of clouds, she plod-
ded on, setting her snowshoes In the
tracks her leader made. The pain in
her shoulder steadily increased, more
and more absorbed her consciousness.
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 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, 81 can't go
no more" she sobbed, and stopped,
swaying. At that he took her in his
arms and carried her a few hundred
feet till they entered a cabin under
the shelter Of frs.
'It's the ranger-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 off her snow
shoes, and she lay watching him light
a fire In the cold, clean stove and
cook a 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 |
she was at home In that wretched /
shack up Lone river and an ineffable
would relax her cramped
mind; sometimes, just as 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-
-ible flame on her shoulder burnt her
again to the confusion of half-con-
He wasn't John Carver,
lie wasn't Pierre. Who, in Gods name,
vas be? And why was she here alone
With him7 She could not frame a
question; she had fear that, If she
,egan to speak, she would scream and
ave, would tell impossible, secret
hlngs. So she held herself to silence,
o a savage watchfulness, to a battle
With delirium.
The man brought her a cup of
trong coffee and held up her head so
hat she could drink it, but ii nau-
Gated her and she thrust 1t weakly
way, asking for cold water. After
he had drunk this, her mind cleared
or an instant; she tried to stand up.
81 must go back to Pierre now" she I
aid, looking about with wild but reso- !
ute eyes.
Lie STILL" said the stranger gently. {
You're not fit to stir. Trust me. It's ,
II right. You're quite safe. Get rested |
nd well, then you may go wherever {
on like want only to help you"
The reassurlng tone, the promising
'ords coerced her and she dropped
ack. Presently, in spite Of pain, she Z
ept. :
She woke and slept in fever for ,
any hours, vaguely aware, at times, )
lat she was travelling. She felt the
otion Of sled under her and knew =
lat she was lying on a warm hide of
,me freshly killed beast and that
anket and canvas covering protect q
, her from swirl of snow. Then she e
fought she heard a voice babbling
leerIy and saw face quite terribly
fferent from other human faces. The
,vering was taken from her, snow y
axes touched her cheek, lantern
lone in her eyes, and she was lifted :
Id carried into a warm, pleasant =
nelling place from which were mag. 8
ally and completely barlshed all q
und and bitterness of storm. She t
led to see where ne was, but her +
es looked on incredible colors and n
missions SO she shut them and ms | n