The Arvada enterprise., 1924-01-17

CHAPTER ~
-1k-

COPYRIGHT by IA,
CHAPTER ~
-11
Flight.
There was a girl named Joan who
alowed Pierre Lands because he laid
hand upon her wrist. and there
hs another Joan who Ned up the
puntain.side at sight Of him, as
ough the Hre that had once touched
(r shoulder had burnt its way into
lr heart. Then there vas a third
IAN, Joan astray. It was this Joan
at had como to Lazy-Y Ranch and
ID cooked for and bullied "the outfit"
Ia Joan Of set face and bitter tongue.
bose two years lonely battle with
had twisted her youth out Of Its
st comely straightness. In Joan's
lief code Of moral law there was
e sln-the dealings Of a married
pman with another man. When
erre's living and seeking face looked
toward her where she stood on
mountain-side above PrOsper's
bin, she felt for the first time that
e had sinned. and so. for the first
ne, she was sinner. and the in
|Itable agony Of soul began.
She fed and hid till dark. then
|owled about till she knew that Wen
b was alone In the house. She came
ke a spirit from hell and questioned
i'm.
"What did the men ask1 What did
6u tell themr
The men had asked for lady. He
ID told them. as Prosper had once
|structed him, that no lady was liv-
x there. that the man had just gone.
hey had been satisfied and had left
bit Joan was still In terror. Pierre
ust never find her now. She had
:cepted the lie Of 4 stranger. had
It her husband for dead. had made
} effort to ascertain the truth. and
I'D dealings with another man."
pan sat In judgment and condemned
erseif to loneliness. She turned her.
lf out from all her old life us though
be had been Cain, and, following
Zen Hos trail over the mountains.
bd gone into strange lands to work
>r her bread. She called herself
lane" and her ferocity was the ar
or for her beauty. Always she
orked in fear Of Pierre's arrival.
bd, as soon 40 she had saved money
Tough for further travelling. she
owed on. She worked by preference
lonely ranches a. cook or harves-
=, and It was after two years Of such
|e that she had drifted Into Yarnalrs
tchen. She was then greatly changed.
woman who works to the full
|retch Of her strenEth. who suffers
ovation and hardship, who gives no
bought to her own youth and beauty.
hd who. moreover. suffers under q
fourge Of self.scorn and fear. Is
Pund to change. OF all the people
pat had seen her after months Of
1ch living, Jasper Morena was the
ply one to md her beautiful. But
'i,h his sensitive observation he had
zen through the shell to the sweet
ess underneath: for surely Joan was
Weet. Fridays child. II was good
hat Jasper had torn the skin from
pr wound. good that he had broken
> the hardness Of her heart. She
fft him and YarnaIl that afternoon
rd went away to her cabin In the
ices and lay face down on the bare
oards "f the fioor md was young
gain. Waves OF longing for love
nd beauty and adventure flooded her.
or . while she had been very beau.
ful and had been very pnssIonately
pved; for . while she had been sur.
bundled by beauty and taught Its
'ennings. She had fed from It all.
NE hated Il, yes. hut she lonced for
with every fiber Of her being. The
lst two years were scnlded away.
he was Joan. who had loved Pierre: !:
pan. whom Prosper Gael had loved.
Toward morning. dawn feeling with
fh'te fingers through the pine boughs
~ ''' uhSubtutIcu "lN"~s Johu
oppfd her weeping and stood up.
he NSas very tired and felt as though
" the hardness and strength had
cen henten from her heart. She
pened her door and looked at pale
fhrs and Q still. slowly Frightening
forld. In hollow below the pines
stream ran and poured It's honrse.
'irrylny voice into the silence. Joan
int under the branches. undrcssed
h bn'hed. The Icy wnter shocked
Fe hnrk into her spirit. She began
ung'e and to glow. In spite Of her.
pr she felt happier. She had been
|ony for so long. neither sorrowful
pr glnd: now. sfter the night Of sharp
I'm. she was nwnre Of the gladness
morning. She came up from her
nnre. glowing and beautiful. with
pose. wet hair.
IN tho corral the men were watering
e'r 'enms: above them m the edge
mega. against the rosy sky. the
her ponies. out all night on the range.
3"re troOping. driven by n cowboy