d then, with
a last gay call to those two man lovers of wheat and storms, she ran for
the porch.

There they joined her, Anderson puffing and smiling, Dorn still with
that rapt look upon his face. The rain swept up and roared on the roof,
while all around was streaked gray.

"Boy, there's your thirty-thousand-dollar rain!" shouted Anderson.

But Dorn did not hear. Once he smiled at Lenore as if she were the good
fairy who had brought about this miracle. In his look Lenore had deeper
realization of him, of nature, and of life. She loved rain, but always,
thenceforth, she would reverence it. Fresh, cool fragrance of a renewed
soil filled the air. All that dusty gray hue of the earth had vanished,
and it was wet and green and bright. Even as she gazed the water seemed
to sink in as it fell, a precious relief to thirsty soil. The thunder
rolled away eastward and the storm passed. The thin clouds following
soon cleared away from the western sky, rain-washed and blue, with a
rainbow curving down to bury its exquisite hues in the golden wheat.

CHAPTER VIII

The journey homeward held many incalculable differences from the
uncertain doubts and fears that had tormented Lenore on the outward
trip.

For a long time she felt the warm, tight clasp of Dorn's hand on hers as
he had said good-by. Very evidently he believed that was to be his last
sight of her. Lenore would never forget the gaze that seemed to try to
burn her image on his memory forever. She felt that they would meet
again. Solemn thoughts revolved in her mind; still, she was not unhappy.
She had given much unsought, but the return to her seemed growing every
moment that she lived.

The dust had been settled by the rain for many miles; however, beyond
Palmer there began to show evidences that the storm had thinned out or
sheered off, because the road gradually grew dry again. When dust rose
once more Lenore covered her face, although, obsessed as she was by the
deep change in herself, neither dust nor heat nor distance affected her
greatly. Like the miles the moments sped by. She was aware through
closed eyes when darkness fell. Stops were frequent after the Copper
River had been crossed, and her father appeared to meet and question
many persons in the towns they passed. Most of his questioning pertained
to the I.W.W. And even excited whispering by her father and Jake had no
power to interest her. It was midnight when they reached "Many Waters"
and Lenore