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Show I 7 n l : Storm Country Polly by Grace Miller White Copyright by Little, Brown &. Co. There In his riding clothes, haughty and frowning, stood Marcus MucKen-zie. MucKen-zie. "Where's Jeremifih Hopkins?" he demanded, eyeing Pollyop sternly. Sle fidgeted with the edge of her apron. Had MacKenzle come to harm her best beloved? "My daddy's gone out," she returned finally, In a low tone. "Then I'll wait," said Marcus. "I'll sit down and wait." Polly set out a chair for him, her legs trembling so she could scarcely stand. Granny Hope grunted out a word of greeting, but the man gave her no answer; and, after blinking at him a few times, tin old woman fell asleep.' "This Is a rotten hole," spat out MacKenzle presently, looking at the girl. This scornful comment on the quarters quar-ters Daddy Hopkins worked so hard to support touched the squatter girl to the quick. She kept the hut as clean as broom and lake water could make it ! "It's our home, mister ; all we got," she replied, and she straightened her shoulders with dignity. "Rotten, Just the same," repeated Marcus. "Say, you 1 Come and Btand here before me." He touched a spot on the floor with his riding whip; and Polly stepped upon It. "Now you listen to me," he said sternly. "I've come with a proposition to your father, and if you've any influence influ-ence with him, you'd better talk him Into it." Polly's face brightened a little. Then It was not real harm coming to Daddy Hopkins today. She wished now that he would come In ; and, almost as If In answer to the throbbing of her nerves, Hopkins passed through the doorway with Wee Jerry clinging to his neck. "Now You Listen to Me," He Said Sternly." The trembling girl saw his face grow gray at the sight of his powerful enemy. Jeremiah made an awkward bob of his head to Marcus, slipped Jerry into his arms and without a word sat down. And Pollyop, full of curiosity and anxiety, sat down too, her brilliant bril-liant eyes steadily leveled upon Mac-Kenzie. Mac-Kenzie. "Hopkins," began Marcus, "I've come with a proposal to you. If you've got any sense, you'll impress its value on the rest of your fellows here, for by hook or by crook, I intend to break up this settlement and burn these shacks." One long gasp came from Polly. Her father said nothing but looked back at the speaker as if he had not heard. "Daddy ain't got the hull right to say what's what," she Interrupted suddenly. sud-denly. "There's lots of squatters." "Then call In some of the others," MncKenzie snapped. "And don't be long about it. I want to know what's going to be done before I go." Polly flushed a glance at her father. "Go get 'em, brat," he directed. "An' bring Larry." Out into the settlement she went, and when she came back into the slwinty, there followed her an angry set of illy-clothed men ; and outside a sullen group of women waited to hear what Old Marc had to offer. One by one the men silently ranged themselves in a row around the hut wall while Polly stood at her father's shoulder, one hand resting upon It, :iml the other on Wee Jerry's head. Marcus MacKenzle knew the group of men he had to deal with. He knew their wicked ways, how they thieved, how they used their nets against the law, and how they shot game out of season. He remembered, ton, how many had been sent to prison with his aiil. but this day he hoped to get rid of them all at once. "I want to pay ynu fellows to gn away from Ithaca." He plumped the proposition at them baldly. "If it hadn't been the easiest way out, 1 wouldn't have considered It a minute. But after talking it over with my lawyer, law-yer, I've decided to give you all a mm of money If you'll leave peacea-My." peacea-My." "Out you'll all go, if I have to burn your hut -ibout your heads!" 110 BE CONTINUED J THE FIGHT RTNOPSIH. Occupying a dilapidated dilapi-dated shack In tho Silent City, a Hquiuter settlement near Ithaca, Now York, Polly Hopkins lives with her father, small Jerry, and an old woman. Granny Hope. On an adjacent farm, Oscar Bennett, prosperous farmer, Is a neighbor. Ho Is secretly married to Evelyn Robertson, supposedly wealthy girl of the neighborhood. Marcus MacKenzle, Mac-Kenzle, who owns the ground the squatters occupy, Is their determined deter-mined enemy. Polly overhears a conversation between MacKenzle and a stranger, In which the former avows his Intention of driving the sauatters from his land. The stranger stran-ger sympathizes with the Bquatters, and earns Polly's gratitude. Evelyn Kobertson discovers from her mother moth-er that they are not rich, but practically prac-tically living on the bounty of Robert Perclval, Evelyn's cousin. Polly learns from Evelyn that the sympathetic stranger is ltobert Porclval. Evelyn charges Polly with a message to Bennett, telling him she can give him no more money. She already bitterly regrets her marrlago to the Ignorant farmer. farm-er. Polly conveys her message and Oscar makes threats. He Insists Evelyn meot him that night. Polly has her father and Ijirry Bishop, a squatter, take an oath to do MacKenzle Mac-Kenzle no injury. Evelyn unsuccessfully unsuccess-fully tries to get money from her mother with which to buy off Bennett Ben-nett and Induce him to leave the country, giving her her freedom. She and MacKenzie avow their love. At the arranged meeting that ; night Bennett threatens Evelyn with exposure unless she gives him money. Polly meets Uobort Perclval, Per-clval, and they are mutually attracted, at-tracted, Polly's feeling being adoration. adora-tion. CHAPTER VII. 6 To describe Oscar Bennett's rage when he loft the two girls in Granny Hope's shack would indeed he a task. Of late Evelyn had ceased to attract li i in. In the excitement of the courtship court-ship he had put his best foot forward, and for a time after the marriage he had found a great satisfaction In the thought that she was his. When the glamor of their secret lioneymoon-tinie lioneymoon-tinie had worn off, and the furmer's crude, cruel nature had been disclosed, Evelyn's mad infatuation had disappeared disap-peared in terror-stricken horror. As Evelyn was finding in Marcus MncKenzie a mate more to her taste, P.cniietl's primitive passions had burst Into a sudden flame for Polly Hopkins. The squatter girl's scorn of him, her drawling ridicule, only made him desire de-sire her the more. A couple of days after the night scene with the girls, he left his house and took his way to the lake. He crossed his fodder lot and plunged into the MacKenzie forest which lay between the railroad tracks and the water. In his pocket he had a letter for Evelyn. He Intended to kill two birds with one stone. If be could find Polly Hopkins alone, he would tell her the decision he had .come to and give her the note to deliver. Oscar did not relish entering the Silent City by the highway. The squatters hated him as much as he did them, more, In all probability; and It was his habit to give the settlement a wide berth. If he discovered any of them on his land, with the exception of Polly Hopkins, he drove them away furiously. Oscar was one of those who would rather have produced rot on his land than give It to the needy. Before vaulting the MacKenzie fence, the sound of people talking on the other side halted him. Pollyop's voice came distinctly to him, and another an-other voice, a man's, answered her. The deep well-bred tones Bennett was sure did not belong to a squatter. He listened carefully to pick up the import im-port of the conversation. The bass voice mumbled something about a mother, in response, the squatter girl's tones fell upon his ear: "Some day you'll be the biggest an' most bemitifulest daddy in the world." Then followed the rush of departing hoofs. Jealousy lore at the eavesdropper. It did not take him long to get to the top of I he fence. Some sound he made brought the squatter girl's head around shurply from her survey of the picture. "What (') you want?" she asked sullenly, sul-lenly, frowning at him. Oscar jsi aped to the ground. "1 come down lo see you, Pollyop," be rejoined, coming forward. "Who were you talking to?" The tally safe way to get along with (he farmer, Polly had concluded, was to have nothing to do with him. "Leave me be, Oscar Bennett '." she shrilled. "1 don't want notion' to do wilh you. I'm goin' home." To cut off her retreat. Oscar needed to take but a couple of strides, ami he promptly took them. ".leminy crickets!" he expostulated. "Don't be so confounded short, Pollyop! You needn't be mad because I swatted ynu one. You aren't my woman yet, hut you're going to he just as soon as I can get shut of my lady Kohertson." Observing no signs of softening in the gill's face, he switched his attack. "Say. w here'd you get that lamb?" This query unfolded new terrors for Pnliy. She had not Ihiaijiiit of the qui!' bcIoir.rinL' to anyone but icrself. Had she not found him dying In the water and loved and fed him ever since? She looked first at the man, then down at the lamb. "He's mine, Oscar," she hesitated. "I've had him two hull days now." Oscar laughed. "A likely story !" he Jeered. "How long since squatters raised sheep? Where'd you get him?" "Found him," she answered, putting her hand on the little animal. "Then he isn't yours," he retorted, "and he can't be anybody's but mine. I thought I was missing some lambs." Polly's eyes filled with alarm. She was trying to frame an argument In favor of herself and the creature she loved. "When you find a thing dyln' In a creek, Oscar," she faltered at length, "you can tike him home an' love him, now can't you?" The man's loud guffaw brought a deep flush to the girl's face. She placed herself directly between him and the lamb. "He's mine," she insisted. "He'd drowned sure If I hadn't jumped into the drink an' pulled him out." Her words made the farmer certain where the creature came from. "Dead or alive, lie's mine !" he exclaimed. ex-claimed. Besides coveting the lamb, he hated the squutter girl's way of fondling animals. ani-mals. When he got her, he determined, deter-mined, he would take all of tlmt kind of nonsense out of her. With one sweep of his mighty hand, he thrust her aside, and, whipping out his knife, he cut the rope that held Nanny Hopkins to Polly's arm. Then, In spite of the girl's frantic cries and her desperate fighting against It, Oscar Os-car picked up the lamb. Pollyop screamed frantically, for from the look on his evil face, she saw Instantly what he intended to do. He was going to kill Jvannyop ! Again she flew at him, but he was tall and strong and held the lamb aloft In the air,' high out of her reach. With a rough oath he pushed the girl from him so roughly that she fell. When Polly scrambled up, he had the lamb in one hand and a large stone in the other. "Oscar!" she shrieked. She dropped to her knees, clasped Wee Jerry In her arms, and shrouded his face and her own in her curls. When she dared look up again, Oscar had thrown the dead lamb on the ground. "There," he gritted, "that's to teach you a lesson, Miss Poll Hopkins. And now I'll open your eyes to something else." As he crossed to her, she tried to struggle to her feet; but her legs were weak, and she was sick over the quivering quiv-ering body there in the road. In another an-other minute Oscar had snatched her into his arms. She shrieked again and again ; and Jerry's loud cries followed, as she fought desperately with the burly farmer. Once out of sight of the Red Cross poster and the little group In front of it, Perclval cheeked his horse. Bay "What Do You Want?" She Asked Sullenly, Sul-lenly, Frowning at Him. Dexter shook his head and champed his bit in disapproval. He was accustomed ac-customed to mad, harum-scarum gallops, gal-lops, nnd he loved them ; but th!s morning, especially since the pause Indie In-die fence corner, he had been compelled com-pelled to niog along like a worn-out, old nag. His master was thinking, really and seriously thinking. Happily born and the heir to an immense fortune, his way through life so far had been marked out for him. He had gone to war carelessly, in a mood of hot patriotism pa-triotism ami because it was the tliim; lo do. Over there he had done his -hare nnd gained, especially from his t'rench comrades, an inkling of life's .ital purpose. He had decided Hint, when he returned, he would do something some-thing worth while, something to make the world a little better because he had lived in It. Now he was home; and almost the first day had come to him this appeal. He smiled ruefully at the recollection of Pollyop's plea. He had promised to help the squatters, and he meant to do It. Sui.pose It did bring him Into conflict con-flict with Marcus MacKenzie! He knew how to fight, and a good fight was not bad fun. Faintly from the direction he hod ridden, the sound of cries came to his ears. Idly he wondered what the row-was. row-was. Some squatter man disciplining his wife, he decided ; but he could not stand to have a woman beaten ! He vaulted into the saddle and raced back over the road. It was not long before he Iqcated the place where the screams came from. Then Bay Dexter Dex-ter had an opportunity to show all the speed he had. The sight of Pollyop writhing In the strong arms of a man he did not recognize recog-nize made Perclval see red. He was off his horse with one leap, and two long strides took him to Oscar's side. One blow from his powerful knuckles in the farmer's face staggered Bennett and freed Polly so quickly that she fell to the ground. Instinctively she crawled out of the way of the battling men. The blow that had released her had done no damage to Bennett except ex-cept to aggravate his rage. He recovered recov-ered himself and confronted his assailant, assail-ant, dripping oaths like ram from a cloudburst. Bennett took the offensive, his fists flying like flails. He wanted to get his arms around the other fellow, to trip him and make the fight a rough and tumble on the ground, but Perci-val Perci-val avoided the rush, and struck as Bennett went by. Again and again Bennett tried to come to close quarters. quar-ters. But he could not ; neither could he hit his elusive opponent. At length he hesitated, distressed as much by his own efforts as the blows he had received. Then Perclval stepped In, and quickly quick-ly It was all over. Two well-planted thumps laid Bennett like a log on the ground. Robert dusted off his hands, picked Wee Jerry up, and handed him to his sister. "Did he hurt you, Polly?" he queried, and her answer was positively gleeful; "Nary a bit, sir, an' I reckon the big lummox's got a plenty this time." Robert brushed off his clothes slowly. slow-ly. The farmer still lay on the ground. "Get up," ordered Perclval scornfully, scornful-ly, touching the prostrate man with the toe of his boot. "Get up and make off if you don't want me to lick you again." Oscar rolled over and crawled slowly slow-ly to his hands and knees. "The ground's klnda wabbly, ain't it, Oscar?" Polly gibed. "Get out," commanded Robert, once more. Bennett scrambled to his feet, shook his fist at Polly, snatched up the little dead lamb, and in another moment had climbed the fence and was gone. "What were you fighting about?" began Robert, looking keenly at Pollyop. Pol-lyop. Tears hung on the girl's lashes, and the sensitive underlip quivered. . "Oscar said as how Nannyop were his," she murmured. "Weren't it awful for him to swat it with that stone that way?" "Did you " He broke off the question ques-tion abruptly. He was going to ask her if she had stolen the lamb ; but an expression in the pleading, misty eyes stopped him. "I found the little feller drownin' in the creek, sir," she explained with bowed head. "I just took him home to love him, that was all." The strange, thrilling emotion that had overcome Robert but a short time ago in the presence of this squatter girl attacked him again. "What can I do to help you, child?" he demanded sharply. Polly flung out her hand. Help! that was what the squatters wanted. The little lamb was dead. Nothing could ever hurt it any more. But there were her people "Just help Daddy Hopkins" she choked and went on "an' all the poor folks in the Silent City, an' all I'll love ynu forever and forever!" Alter that the "littlest mother" made large strides upward toward the "greatest mother.'' Every little worried wor-ried thing In the woods, every heavy heart ill the squatter settlement felt the difference In Polly Hopkins. She smiled more, she talked more; nnd, when she found a group of tier womenfolks women-folks wnnderhig how tiieir absent laddies lad-dies were, she led them In smilinir assurance as-surance to Old Marc's fence and there repeated what Robert Percival had said about the Greatest Mother in the World. One morning Pollyop was cleaning the shanty and Granny Hope was seated seat-ed by the stove. A sharp rap came on the door. When Polly opened it nnd recognized the caller, she would have insed the dnnr and barred It if a niiin's heavy boot, thrust across tie ihresholQ, had not prevent'..! her. |