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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 1923)
RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF THE BRANDING IRON By Katharine Nevvlin Burt Copyright by Kathartna N. Dart "SHE LEAVE LETTER" Jonn Iandln, rlRhtrnn yenra old, wife of IMcrre, la the tfniiK'i ter of John Cnrver, who murdered her mother for adultery. Her lonely life, with her father. In n Wyoming cnliln, unhparnhlo. Jonn leaven him to work In r hotel In a nenrby town. Jonn rnnetii Plorre. nml the two, mutually at tracted, are married. Cnrver trjla riorro atory of Joan's mother. Pierre forces a cattle brand. Frank IIolllwull, yotinR mlnlater, prcHontfl lionlcn to Jonn. I'lorre forlililH her to rend them. Mad drned by Jealousy. Pierre tlm Jonn nnd hums the Two-Har hrnnd Into her shoulder. Ilenr ln? her arrcnriin, u stranger bursts Into the house nnd nliootn Pierre. The RtrutiKor revlvH Joan, tcllltiK her Pierre Ih dend, urjjeit her to no with tilrn. At the KirniiRer'n hottiu Joan's In JurlfH nr intended to. Hho In Introduced to u new world of hooks nnd fine clothing by the stratiKcr. Prosper Onle. a writer. Onle becomes Interested In Joan, who responds In part. CHAPTER XIII Continued. 10 "There's hooks about everything, nln't there? Isn't there Mr. f?nel7 Why, there's hooks nhotit lovln' an' sickness nn' nhotit cuttle nn' what-not. nn nhotit women nn' children " She wns shirking the knowledge of her "case," hut nt Inst film pressed her lips together nnd opened the hook. She fell to rending; growing anxiety possessed her fnre; she Rut down on the nearest ehiilr; she turned page lifter pnge. Suddenly 8ho gave lilm a look of anger. "I nln't none of this, Mr. Gael." she rnld, smote tho page, roso with dig nltv, and returned tho hook. Ho laughed so long and heartily that she wns nt Inst forced to Join lilut. "You wns you were dobbin' too. wnsn't you?" she finld, sighing relief. "Did you know whnt thnt vol ume snld? It said like this I'll read you ahout It" She took tho volume, found the place nnd rend In n low tone of horror, he helping her with the hnrd words: MOno of the most fre quent forms of phohln, common In cases of psychic neurnsthentn, Is ngro phohln In which piitlents the moment they come Into nn open spnee nro op pressed by nn exaggerated feeling of nnxlety. They mny break Into n pro fuse perspiration and nssert thnt they feel os If chained to the ground . . .' And hore, listen to this, 'bntophohln, tho fear that high things will full; ntrophobla, fenr of thunder nnd light ning; pantophobia, tho fenr of every thing nnd everyone' . . . Well, now, nln't thnt too nwful? An you menn folks rcnlly get thnt way?" Their tnlk wns for somo time of nervous diseases, Jonn's horror In creasing. "Well, sir," said she, "lead mo out nn' shoot mo If I get nnywnys like thnt! I hcltcTG It's caused by nil thnt queer dressln' nn' whnt-not. I feel like somothln' renl todny In this shirt nn' nil, nn' when I get through somo work I'll feel n whole lot better. Don't you eny I'm ono of those nervous break downs nguln, though, will you?" she pleaded. "No, I won't. Joan. But don't mnke one of mo, will you?" "How's thnt?" "Ily wearing those clothes nil dny nnd hnlf tho night If you expect me to tench you, you'll hnvo to do some thing for me, td mnke up for running nwny. You might put on pretty things for dinner, don't you think? Your nervous system could stand that?" "My nervous system," drnwlcd Jonn, nnd added startllngly, for she did not often swenr, "G dl" It wns nn onth of scorn, nnd again Prosper laughed. Hut he heard with a sort of terror the sound of her "njan's work," to which sho energetically applied her self. It meant the return of her strength, of her Independence. It meant the shortenlnc of her captivity. Itefore long spring would rush up tho canyon In a wave of melting snow, crested with dazzling green, and the vnlley would He opn to Joan. She would go unless hai he really failed bo utterly to touch Iter henrt? Was she without passion, this woman with the deep, savage eyes, tho lips, so f-ensuous nnd pure, the body so mngnlfl eently made for living? She wns not defended by any training, sho had no moral standards, no i rejudlces, none of tho "Ideals." She wrU completely open to approach, a savage. If he failed, It wns a personal fnll'iro. Perhaps he had been too subtle, too restrained. Sho did not yet know, perhaps, what he desired of her. Hut he was afraid of rousing her hatred, which would he fully as simple and s savage as her love. Thnt evening, after sho had dressed to plenso him, and rtat In her chair, tired, but with tho beautiful, clean look of outdoor weariness on her face, and tried, battling with drowsiness, to glvo her mind to his reading and his talk, ho came to her and knelt down, drawing down her hands to htm, press ing his forehead on them. For a moment she was stiff and still, then. "What Is It, Mr. duel?" she asked In n frightened half-voice. Ho felt, through her body, the slight recoil of spirit, and drew away, and arose to his feet. "You're angry?" He laughed. "Oh, no. I'm not angry; why should I he? I'm n superman. I'm made let's say of alabaster. Women with prent eyes and wonderful voices and the beauty of broad-browed nymph walking gravely down iiuler forest $- arches, such women glvo mo only a great, great longing to read uloud very slowly nnd carefully n 'Clilld'w History of tho English Knee' I" Ho took the book, tossed It across the room, then stood, nshnmed and dellnut, laughing n little, it boy In dlsgruce. Joan looked ut him lu profound be wilderment and dawning distress. "Now," sho said, "you ure ungry with me. You always uro when you talk that queer way. Won't you please ex plain It to me, Mr. Gael?" "Nol" said he sharply. "I won't." And he added after n moment, "You'd better go to bed. You're sleepy und as stupid as nn owl." "Oh I" "Yes. And you've destroyed whnt little superstitious heller I hud left con cerning something they tell little Igno rant hoys about n woman's Intuition. You haven't got n bit. You're stupid and I'm tired of you No, Jonn, I'm not. Don't mind me. I'm only In fun, Please I D nt I've hurt your feel ings." Her lips were quivering, her eyes full. "I try so awful hard," she said. It was n lovely, broken trail of music, "Dear child I Joan, don't you ever think of mo?" "Yes, yes; nil the while I'm think ing of you. I wlsht I could do more for you. Why do I make you so nngryf I know I'm nwful awfully stupid nnd Ignorant. I I must drive you most crazy, hut truly" hero she turned quickly In his arm and put her hands about his neck and laid her cheek against his shoulder "truly, Mr. Gael, I'm nwful fond of you." Then she diew quickly away, quivered hack Into tho other corner of her great chair, put her face to her hands. "Only I can't help seeln' Pierre." Just her tone showed him that still and ghastly youth, and ngnln he saw the brown hand that moved. He had stood between her and that sight. The man ought to hnvo died. Ho did not deserve his life nor this love of hers. Kven though he hnd failed to kilt the man. ho would not fall to kill her love for him, sooner or Inter, thought Prosper. If only tho hateful spring would glvo him time. Ho must move her from her memory. Sho had put her hands about his neck, she hnd laid her head ngnlnst his sholuder, and, If It hnd been the nctlon of n child, then sho would not hnve started from htm with thnt sharp memory of Pierre. Joan hnd made her plnns. She would wnlt till spring, partly to get bnck her full strength, pnrtly to make further progress In her studies, but Mm She Was Truly Sorry Thnt She Had Hurt Him by Runnlnn Away. mostly In order not to hurt this hos pitable Prosper Gael. The naivete of her gratitude, of her delicate consid oration for his feelings, which con tinually triumphed over irti Instinctive fenr, would have filled him with amusement, perhaps with compunc tion, had ho been capable or under standing them. She was truly sorry that she had hurt him by running away. She told herself she would not do thnt again. In the spring she would make him n speech of thankfulness and of farewell, and then she would tramp back to Pierre's homestead and win and hold Pierre's land. As yet. you see, Prosper entered very little Into her conscious life. Somewhere, Tar down In her, there was a disturb ance, a growing doubt, a something vague and troubling loan had not learnt to probe her own heart. A sensation was not. or It was. She was puzzled by the feeling Prosper was beginning to cause her, a feeling of miserable complexity; but she was not yet mentally equipped for the con fronting of complexity. It was neces sary for an emotion to rush at Jiein and throw down as It were, her heart before she recognized It; even then she might not give It n name. She would act. however, and with vio lence. So now she planned and worked and grew beautiful with work nnd plan ning, while Prosper worked, too, and hW Instruments were delicate ami deiiijlv and his plans made no account of hers lie worked nn her subcon sciousness undermining her path, and at nidus nnd In her sleep she gn nwiten of iiim . P" 'n his cool and pas- 1:1 ' moments of reaction, oni at Inst thnt camt near to wrecking hi purpose. "Your clothes are about done for, Joan," Prosper laughed ono morning, watching her belt In her tattered shirt ; you'll soon look like Cophetuu's beggar maid." "I'm not quite barefoot yet" 8he held up u cracked boot. "I wns going to tell yon thnt there nrc ii skirt und n sort of coat In In n closet In the hall. Do you want to use them?" She went out to look. In five min utes ho heard her laugh, nnd, gtin laughing, she opened the door again. "Oh. Mr. Gael, were you really thinking thnt I could wear these? 1X10K." lie turned and looked nt her. She hnd crowded her strong, Iltho frnrne Into a brown tweed suit, a world too narrow for her, and she wns Inughlng to show him the mlsllt. "These things, Mr. Gnel," she snld "they must hnvo been mnde for n tall child." Prosper hnd too fnr tempted his pnln. nnd In her vivid phrase It came to life before him. She hnd painted n startling picture and ho had seen flint suit, so smnll nnd trim, before. Joan saw his face grow white, his eyes stnred through her. Ho drew n quick brenth and winced nwny fiom her, hiding his face In his hands. A moment Inter he was weeping convul sively, with violence, his head down between his hands. Jonn started townrd him, but ho mnde n wicked nnd repellent gesture. She fled Into her room nnd snt, bewildered, on her bed. All nt once tho question enmo to her; for whom had the delicate fabrics been bought, for whom had this suit been made? "If was his wife and she Is dead." thought Joan, nnd very piti fully she took orr the suit, laid It and the other things nwny, nnd sitting by her window rested her chin in her hands nnd stared out through the blue pines. Tears ran down her fnce be cause she was so sorry for Prosper'.s pain. And again, thought Joan, she had caused It, she who owed him ev erything. Yes. 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. 1'or all thnt dny Prosper fled the house and went across tho country, now fording a flood of melted snow, now floundering through a drift, now walking on springy sod, unaware of the sort spring, conscious only of n sort or lire In his breast. He suffered nnd ho resented his suffering, nnd he would have killed his heart If, by so doing, he could have given It peace. And all day he did not once think of Joan, but only of tho "tall child" for whom the gay ennyon refuge had been built, but who had never set her slim foot upon tho threshold. Sunset found him miles away In the foothills of n low, many-folded range ncross the plain. He wns dog tired, so thnt for very exlinustlon his hrnln hnd stopped Its tormenting work. He lit n fire and sat by It. huddled in his cont, smoking, dozing, not able really to sleep for cold nnd hunger. Prosper hated the night and Its beautiful desolation ho hated the God that had made this land. He cursed tho dnwn when It came delicately, spreading n green urc of radiance ncross the enst. And then, us he nrose stlflly, stamped out his flro nnd started slowly on his way back, he was conscious of a passion nte homesickness, not for the old life he had lost, but for his cabin, his blight hearth, his shut-In solitude, his Joan. Very dear nnd renl nnd huinnn she wns, nnd her laughter had been sweet. And she must be nnxlous about him. Sho would have sot up by the lire all night. . . . Ills eager ness for her slighted comfort gave his lagging steps n certain vigor, tho long walk back seemed very long Indeed. Noon was hot, but ho found water, and by sundown ho came to the can yon trail. Ho wanted Joan ns badly now as n hurt child wants Its mother. Ho came, haggard nnd breathless, to the door, called "Joan," canio Into tho warm llttlu room and found It empty. Wen Ho, to ho sure, pattered to meet him. "Mister Gael been gone n long time, velly, long, nil night. Wen Ho, ho IK bed, llx brenkfast oh, the lady? She gone out estlddy, not come hack. She leave n letter for him, there on tho table." Prosper took It, vvnvod Wen Ho out, and, dropping Into tho big chair, opened the paper. There was Joan's big handwriting, that ho himself had taught her. Hefore, sho could only sign her name. ".Mister Gael, dero frond: "You have ben too good to me nn It has ben too hard for you to keen mo when you were all tho wile amissln In'r an It hurts me to think or how It must Iiiivb ben terrible hard Tor you all this winter to see me where von had ben ust to seeln her an me wearin her pretty things all tho wile. Now (lore frend this must not be no more. I will not stuy to trouble you. You have hen awful free-hearted. When .vou come hack from ,vour wnnderln an tr.vln to get over your beln so unhappy you will llud your house quiet an peaceful an jou will not he hurt by me no more. I am not able to say nil I am feelln about jour goodness r.n I hev not always ben as kind to yoi. In m.v thoughts an axlons but that has hen my own fault not yonr. I wnnf you to bolcuve this. Mister Gael. 1 am goln back to Pierre's ranch to work on his land an somo day I will he liopln to see you come rhlln in an I will keep on leurnln as well as I can an iiiebbe you will not be nshnmed of me. 1 feel nwful had to go hut 1 would feel more bad to stay when It must hurt you so. Ilrspcrtiihly "JOAN." (TO Ufc2 CONTINUED.) CLOTHES FO& ftwro0ooocHWwao0pa0a0OJWflna 1-Kt.i I Y JUINIUR FALL HATS ILJ. 'TplIK lure of outdoors Is never stronger thnn during the crisp days of autumn. Cool winds carry an Invitation to Invigorating exercise, and with the new materials, In outer wear to choose from, the problem of appro priate nnd comfortable apparel grows more nnd more simple. In knitted materials particularly there has been n tremendous development with tho pportB idea growing stronger all the time. These fabrics have "caught on" PS3tmSH K. 4 Sport Suit and and remain with us ns established parts In the scheme of things in wom an's apparel. A new wenvo In brushed camel's hnlr Is used for making the attractive costume shown In the picture. A wide brown stripe In the ninterlal is manipulated to make tho collnr and cuffs, and It also appears as a band about the Jacket and skirt. Tho pock eta nnd Jucket opening are faced with the lighter material. A costume of this kind mny bo worn for nny number of outdoor activities. Various Hat it is Ideal for country club weiu or . for active bports und Is not out of : placo as a street suit In town. Tho material combines warmth with lightness und what Is equally desir able, It has a breezy, youthful look. Utility is tho second consideration in somo of tho new sport costumes thot have lotely made their appear ance. These are dressy affairs made of hrlglrt-colored silk or wool and nro embroidered with all-over designs In equally brilliant colors. An Interest ing model is of putty-colored silk, loosely crocheted, with alternate bands of soft, buff-colored suede. Ono Is apt to run across a young' Ish grandmother trying on lints de ilgned for tho debutante these days, rrjjwjsjjw-jK' "'"ii"js;;;m " ' vth j w-- ., "v ;j( .bw. .i. .: f-. . fi A .-HH HVW . W 4 I W Vl ' T'.A...'VtiaVI'' KM 4r bKwB f i if i JK?7iB av Lv,4- j ll1"" Mini II 1MW . 4 OUTBOORING; for Junior styles In millinery follow the modes for grownups to some de gree. This Is more apparent In mn terluls thnn In trimmings, nnd In thq smnll, close-fitting shapes tho differ ence In styles, for different nges, seems sometimes to bo only a difference. In bend size. In the group of young girls' lints shown here, velvet, embroideries, sec tlonnl crowns nnd shapes all hnvo their prototypes In the autumn styles Knitted Fabric for grown people. But these styles are skillfully modified to mnke this dressy hendwenr for Juniors In keeping with their years. A velvet picture hnt nt, the top Is faced with taffeta and edged with a toffeta-llned frill in n bright color. It adopts a Fash of wide, soft ribbon for trimming and might be worn by girls from thirteen to seventeen at least. The velvet hat Just below It, "Vlth sectlonnl crown and embroidered, upturned brim, Is equally adaptable. A duvetlno model, at tho left, Is more deilnltely childish, with a soft crown Styles for Girls. gathered at the center nnd sketchy, chain-stitch embroidery, in colored silk and band of narrow ribbon tied at side The last hat In the group, of velvet, with upturned brim, has a youthful crown In which an embroidered disk supplies the center, with tho scant side crown .shirred and Joined to It. 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