The Arvada enterprise., 1923-12-13

Your clothes are about done for,
Joan" Prosper laughed one morning.
watching her belt In her tattered
Shirt you'll soon look like Cophetua's
heccar maid"
I'm not quite barefoot yet" She
held IN cracked boot.
u was going 10 tell you that there
are skirt and a sort Of coat ln-in
closet In the hall. DO you want to
use them?"
She went out to look. In f've min.
utes he heard her laugh. and. still
laughing. she opened the door again.
"Oh. Mr.. Gael. were You really
thinking that could wear thesei
Look"
He turned and looked nj hen She
had crowded her strong. little frnme
| into brown tweed suit. n world loo
narrow FOR her. and she was laughing
to show him the mistit.
| These things. Mr.. Gael" she saii-
~.hey must have been made for q tall
cAild."
Prosper hnd too far tempted lis
pain. and in her vivid phrase II came
to NE before him. She had painted
a u'artling picture and he had seen
tina; suit. so small and trim. before.
Joan saw his face grow white. hiS
eyes stared through her He drew 4
quick breath and WINGED away from
her. hiding hts face In his Mnds. A
momea at later he was weeping convul.
sively, with violence. his head down
hetwesh his hands. Joan started
toward him. but he made a wicked
and re.ellent gesture. She fed into
her room and sat. bewildered. on her
bed.
All AZ once the question came to
her: for whom had the delicate fabrics
been bought. for whom had this suit
heen mate? ut was his wife and shs
Is dead" thought Joan. and very pitt
fully she took m the suit. laid Il
and the nsber things away. and sitting
BY her wlsdOw rested her chin in her
hands ann stared out through the blue
pines. Tears ran down her face he
cause she vas 80 sorry for Prospers
pain. And again. thought Joan. she
had cnused u. she who owed him ev.
erything. ,T>s. she was deeply sorry
for Prosper. deeply: her whole heart
was stirred For the first time she
had a longing to comfort him with
her hands.
For all that day Prosper Ned the
house and went across the country,
now fOrding a flood Of melted snow,
now houndering through drift. now
walking on spr'ngy sod. unaware cf
the soft spring. conscious only of a
sort Of nre in his breast. He suffered
and he resented his suffering. and he
would have killed his heart II. by 40
doing. he could have given Il peace.
And all day he did not once think of
Jonn. but only Of the ''tnil child" for
whom the gay canyon refuge had been
built. but who had never set her slim
foot upon the threshold. Sunset found
him miles away In the foothills Of q
low. mnny-folded range across the
plain. He was dog tired. no that for
very exhaustion his brain had stopped
Its tormentinR work. He lit fire and
sat by II. huddled In his coat. smoking,
doing. not able really to sleep for
cold and hunger. Prosper hntcd the
night and Its beautiful desolntion. he
hated the God that Ind made this
land. lie cursed the dawn when Il
cnme delicately. spreading a green arc
Of radiance across the east. And
then. as he arose stifiy. stamped out
his fire and started slowly on his wny
hack. he was conscious OF passion.
ate homesIckness. not for the old life
ne had lost. but for his cabin, his
bright hearth. his shut-ic solitude. his
Joan. Very dear and real and human
she was. and her laughter had been
sweet And she must be anxious
about him She would have snt up by
the hrc oil night. His enger-
ness for her slighted comfort gave his
tagging steps a certain vigor, the long
walk bnck seemed very long indeed.
Noon was hot. hut he found water.
and by sundown he came to the can.
yon trail He wanted Joan as badly
now M a hurt child wants It's mother.
Tie came. hnggnrd and brcnthless. to
the door. called "JOnn." came into the
warm little room and found Il empty.
Wen Ho. 10 he sure. pnttered TO meet
him.
"AiIster Gael been gone long time.
veliy. long. all night. Wen lilo. he
NJ he'd. NJ brenkfast-oh. the lndyi
She gone out ycstIddy. mot come hack.
She lenvc q letter for him. there on
the table"
Prosper took II. waved Wen IIo out.
and. dropping into the bIg chair.
opened the pnper. There was Jonn's
big handwriting. TINT he himself had
taught her. Before. she could only
sign her name.
Mister Gael. dcrc friend:
"You have ben too good 10 inc mn
II hns hen too hard for you 10 keep
me when you were Nil the vile nmissln
her mn II hurt. me io think Of how it