After  all  it  was  disconcerting  on  the  eve  of
his  long  trip  to  be  told  that  he  would  meet  a  girl
in  Oklahoma  whom  he  would  marry,  especially
in  view  of  his  affection  for  Janet.  He  couldn’t
harmonize  his  visit  to  the  oil  fields  with  a  meet¬
ing  of  his  future  fiancee.  But  the  twinkle  that
came  into  the  gypsy’s  eye  when  she  grasped  his
hand  and  traced  her  fat  forefinger  over  his  palm
in  remembrance  made  Jack  shudder.  There  was
something  strange  about  her,  something  of  the
occult  in  the  gleam  of  her  shifting  eyes,  as  if
she  had  gone  into  a  future  world  and  returned
with  prize  particles  of  information.  Of  course
she  could  not  fortell  the  future.  No  human
could.  Dwelling  upon  it  all  aroused  a  new


2*


[41]


WOLF  MOON


passion  within  him,  a  passion  to  see  the  woman
again  and  fling  back  the  words  into  her  face,  to
stamp  her  as  a  liar  and  a  fool.  The  engendered
rancour  made  him  rise  and  rush  to  the  door.  As
he  swung  it  open  a  flood  of  starlight,  of  chilled
night  air,  rushed  in  upon  him.  It  fanned  his
fever  to  abatement  and  throwing  the  door  shut
he  fell  across  the  bed.  Janet  was  his  own,  his
very  own;  no  gypsy  words,  no  smirking  hag
could  rob  him  of  his  affection  for  her.  He  would
live  for  her  love  and  show  the  world  that  the
gypsy’s  mumbling  was  childish,  empty,  visionary.
