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

: that he never looked up. He was deer
in some plan to which 1t was impos
sible for her not to believe that the
/, curious pattern of his walk bore some
: relation.
From the northern wing Of the ranch
house, strongly lighted, came tumnlt
OF sound: music, humping feet, q
mans voice chanting couplets:
Oh. you walk right through and you
turn around and swing the girl
that finds you,
And you come right back by the same
old track and turn the girl behind
you.
Someone was directing a quadrille
In native fashion. There was much
laughter, confusion and applause.
None of this noise disturbed the man.
He did not look at the lighted win
dows, He might really have been a
gigantic insect entirely unrelated to
the human creatures so noisily near
at hand.
man came round the corner Of
the house, crossed the square, and,
lurching a little, made for the door
of the lighted wing. Shortly after his
entrance the sound Of music and dane
ing abruptly stopped. This stiffness
gave the spider pause, but he was
about to renew his weaving, when, in
the silence, a woman spoke.
you, Mabel, don't you go home"
she said.
She had not spoken loudly, but her
voice beat against the walls of the
court as though 1t could have filed
the whole moonlight night with dam
lifted his head with a low. startled
exclamation. Suddenly the world was
alive with adventure and alarm.
mind your own business, you Wild
cat" answered a mans raucous voice.
"She's my wife, which is somethin'
that your sort knows nothin' about.
Come on, you Mabel. If you think
that outlaw can keep me from takin'
home my wife, you're betting wrong"
Another silence: then the voice
again, little louder, as though the
speaker had stepped out into the CEN
ter of the room.
mabel is not a-goin home with
YOU" 1t said; and the listener outside
threw back his head with the gesture
Of man sensitive to music who lis !
tens to some ecstatic melody. "She |
happens to be stoppin' here with us |
tonight. You say that she's your wife, |
but that don't mean that she belongs |
to you, body and soul, Bill Greer-not
to you, who don't possess your own
body or soul. Why. you can't keep
your feet steady; you can't pull your
hand away from mine. You can't hold
your tipsy eyes on mine. Do you call
that ownin' your own body?"
deep, short, alarming chorus Of
laughter Interrupted the speech. The
speaker evidently had her audience.
$50 you don't own anything tonight"
went on the extraordinary, deliberate
voice; surely you don't own Mabel.
You can't get claim on her, not
thataway. She's her own. She be-
longs TO her own self. When you're
fit to take her. why, then come and
tell us about 1t, and If we judge you're ]
a-tellin'A us the truth, mebbe Wen let
her go. Till then" a pause which
was filed with rapid shutting of
feet. The door flew open and IN its
lighted oblong the observer saw a
1uddled figure behind which rose a
womans black and shapely head.
IT'LL then" repeated the deep-toned, !
-inging voice, get outi' And the e
luddled man came on a staggering run I
which ended in a backward fall on I
he cobbles Of the court.
The man who watched trod lightly
,ast him and came to the open door. {
inside, freight beat on the golden log
walls and salmon-colored timber cell !
ng; a lamp hanging from a beam
brew down a strong. conflicting arc D
( white light. A dozen brown-faced,
Dotted young men stood about, three I,
musicians were ready to take up their o.
Interrupted music, the little fat man :,
Tho had called out the figures of the
uadrille stood on a barrel, his arms
)lded across his paunch. A fair-haired y
Irl, her face married by recent tears, s
rooped near him. Two of the young &c
zen were murmuring reassurances to gl
err; others surrounded stout, red
iced girl who was laughing and talk
Il loudly. The Jews eyes wandered OF
II they came to the fireplace. There es
lother woman leaned against the !"
all. %
The music struck up. the dancing
gan again, the two other girls, quick or
provided with partners, began to wi
altz. the superfuous men stood up do
gether and went at 1t with gravity on
i'd grace No one asked this woman,
no stood at ease, watching the dane
S, her hands resting on her hips, da
IT head tilted back against the logs. Pr
he looked at her. the intruder had an
queer little thrill of fright He re- FIR
smbered something he had once
en-a tame panther which was to be
ed in some moving-picture play. It's inI
nfident owner had led it on a chain let
d held 1t negllgently In a corner of col
2 room. waiting for his cue. The ca
nther had stood there drowslly, its
ps shifting q little then watching