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Show I iptorm Country I gjy gfi Miller White -J JB i. vf." " iw- .- - i -, -f -, I"JUST POLLYOP-POLLY HOPKINS!" "What's your name?" he inquired. BJj "Jw Valltjop," was thr answer. "Polh Hopkins. My daddy I ti Jerrmiali Hopkins, the mayor of this settlement" t BB "Can 1 da something for you, roily Hopkins?" queried Robert, BB es the finished telling about i in the squatters' city. BB She flung out both hands in a comprehensive gesture as much BBj as to say ho could see for himself how much she needed. Bfl j "Sure, sure you can," she' said with fierce emphasis. "You can Bflj I male Old Marc have us squatters be. You're bigger'n he is! The BJj squatters need you awful bad." BH Her voice broke, lloberl took a long breath. Of course he BH could help this girl and her people. He would, tool As far as Bflj money gave power, he could equal and surpass Marcus MacKenzie. " did try to talk sense into Mr. MacKemie's head," he re- Bfl turned presently, "but now I will make him leave you alone." ByB In spite of the curved lips about which a smite lurked, there BBj was apprehension in her voice when she asked: BJ "Can you lick 'im tn a finish, miller?" BB J "Yes, I think I ughed Robert; "but it won't be nee- BBJ essary." BH "Then I tee us Silent Oily folks bcin' happy again," sighed BH Polly. "We got u awful lot of things an' folks to take care of here." BBf Thare you have tliem Storm Country Polly and Robert Perclval, g herolno and hero of another of thoie fascinating ttorloi by Grace BA .Miller .White. "Ton of the Storm Country" was her fir.t dory. It BB hii printed at a ierla In a magaxtne for women and practically BB itabliihed the magazine. It vrai put on the movie screen and made BBX the fortune of a woman film itar of world-wide fame. Of courte BB Grace Miller White (Mr.. Friend 11. Miller) kept right on writing of HM the "Storm Country." Half a doxen other itorlet have been tucceuei. H More than a million copfo of her books have been sold. The "Storm BBJ Country," by the way, Is Cayuga Lake and vlcnlty In New York, one BBj ef the garden spots, of the world. BIB Given a beautiful and persecuted squatter girl and a nice young BB man with brains, sympathy and money what more do you want for BBJ romance! H CHAPTER I. BBJ Four mllos from . Itlincn, N. Y BBJ Oscnr llennott's furin sprend Its acres BBj along II. o face of West IIIIl. between flBj Hie Lehigh Valley truck mid tho high- Bfl wny lending to Trumnnsburg. Oscar BBJ Itennolt was what the country peoplo Bfl mid oven (lit! Itlincn folks 'en I led a tine BB farmer. Illfl fnrmhnuso faced n Inno BB (hut led to tlio west shoro of I.nUo BB Cayuga, mid from tliu front porch ho BB could hec, much to his dislike, tho few BB utrncKtlh" sqilalter shucks tlmt BB drought to mi end northwnrd tho SI- BJj lent City. Like nil other suhstnntlnl BB cltlwim, Oscnr dbtested the squutters. BJ In. his oHlliimtlon they were n set of BB thlcvlnc loufcrs nnd snenks, nud ninny BB times lie hud wished that ho owned Bfl the ground they squatted on Instead J ef Murcus MncICenzlo. a BB Of course It wns no secret thnt BM MacKcualo never let nn opportunity BB Hip to pop u llslierninn Into Jnll, hut BJ la Ileunelt's opinion that treatment BB wm not severo enough, and hcsldes, It BVJ did not accomplish anything Mnc- BB Kemlo'a I den was to Jnll tho men BB i whenever the chnucc came and for n BB period as Ioiir as tho law would allow, BB Ilvrt Vfhut Rood dll that do Fierce BB iMtred flamed In the hnggurd faces of Bm the women, and they held tn their BB mjufllter rights with tho tenacity of BB leeches until their husbands were BB given hack to them. Ilcnnett would BB have done nway with tho wives and BB mothers If tho Job of brruklnc up the BB WleRt City hud been his. No man BB weuld tmng to a hut lone without a BJ woman In It, BB One inornliR In tho curly spring On- BJj car was llnlshlnx his breakfast when Bflj the door opened slowly. - A girl with BB a email tin pall In her hand stepped BJ tato tho room. She smiled ut him ol- BB roost humbly. BH "illiut tho iloorl" he shouted at her. BB "Wheru'ti your manners, I'olly Hop BP klnsT Can't you see tho ruin's com- BH Ins In alter youl" BB The smllo faded from tho girl's face. BJ Mechanlcully fcbu turned, closed tho BK door and, unlimited, seated herself In BJ a rhulr uhd pluceil tho pull at her BB . BM "So you've come begging, I'cJIynp," BH went on tho fanner, wiping his lips Bfl tm Iho Hleevo of his gingham shirt. Bj "Well, you might as well turn tall BB and run liomn ngutn, for you're not go BJ log to get unythlng nioro from mo. 1 BB don't want u poacher's hrat around BJ here." BH The girl's haro wet feet drew tense- Bfl y backward undH tho chnlr; hut she Bfl jremalnett discreetly silent. Oscar nl- pB (ways abused her and called her unmos, BB tiut that was because she was a squut- BJ (cr. After n while, he'd chuitgo his Bfl wind, und then sJiO'Wotild tako home BB what slip enme for. She noted with a Bff iulrk breath that Oscar's eyes softened BB during tho time ho was silent. That BB Ixxled well for hor errand; hut Hen- BB uett's mind was not on milk or upy B of those suffering for tho want of It. B8 do hnd Just discovered tlmt Tolly BJf Hopkins was beautiful even If rhe Be were barefooted and rugged. Her Bfl t)trlght young shoulders wcru covered BB with wet curls that seemed to have given to tho wldo eyes their shado of rlpo chestnuts. Tolly expected every moment that Oscur would reach out for the pull, and, though with bad grace, he'd give her tho milk Just the sumo. She lid getcd In her chnlr and drew a long slghho was sturlng at her In such a, peculiar manner from under his heavy brows. Why hnd he not noticed before thnt Tolly Hopkins wns so pretty, Oscar wondered, and a stow smile parted his lips. Tolly's eyes lowered, nnd the long dnrk lashes only added to neii. nctt's sudden admiration, A quick-drawn quick-drawn breath slipped audibly past the man's teeth. Tolly op sensed In his attitude at-titude toward her a new quality that sho recognised Intuitively as dangerous. danger-ous. To tiring his nttcnton back to the purpose of her visit, sho ventured to soy: "I thought It wouldn't hurt you none, Oscnr, to gimme n little milk for Granny IIopo an' Jerry. I'm always runnln' errands for you an' your woman." llennctt's heavy farm hoots made a scraping sound under tho tnhte. "What good does that do me?" he returned. "Upon my soul, I might as well bo without n wife as to have one who won't live with me or let anyone , know I'm her husband. I'm gettln' sick, good and plenty sick, I can tell you, Miss Tolly Hopkins." This speech did not disturb Tolly over much, for he'd made It's dozen times before. It wns only the expression expres-sion In his gaze, sho did not quite like. Her mind went to Kvelyn Hob-crtson, Hob-crtson, tho girl that Oscar hud married. mar-ried. As If It were hut yesterday, she remembered how two years ago she had gono with th? under protest to a minister fur buck In t bills. Kvelyn Kve-lyn hud explained thnt for some time to como no one hut the thrcv must know of the mnrrhige. Toll op hnd Irnmcd a great many things In two years 1 What girl does not after she's passed her llfteenth birthday? One nf'the things she bad found out wus thnt Oscar was a dreadful dread-ful person, mure orendftd thnu most of tho squstter i"cu. Of course the men folks of her people did bent their women, now and then. That wus their right without any qucM.ou. Tho blood colored cen her ears us she remem-hero" remem-hero" how Oscar hectored his wire for the money It was so hard for lively n to get. Another thing sho had come to understand wus thnt, If Oscar hud not been afraid of the powerful Hob-ertson Hob-ertson Tamlly, he would huvo forced Rvelyn Into his homo long before this. It had been a hard two years' task to Keep him quiet. "Mcbbo you are gettln' sick, Oscar," sho Interposed. "1 don't know mebbe; hut you know wlmt that old Miss Itobertson would do to you an' her girl If you told. You'd get Eve. mebbe, but you sure wouldn't get nny morn money.' The man's face darkened, "Tlmt's Just the rub ho conceded, "but ut that Eve ain't liUylhjt square with me. The Ilobertsoiis have money to burn, and sho deals it out to mo In Kiimil little dollars, 1 tell you Tm sink of the whole thing." - Tolly noted the glitter la liennett's angry eyes und- felt again the qultcr of fear. "She gives you all she gets her fingers fin-gers on," she came bnck ut him In defense de-fense of the absent Evelyn. "Lots of times she's got along on about nothln' to send you cash, tin' didn't I come runnln' up here with It as soon n she glvo It to me? Now her mil's gettln' on that Eve nln't spendln' her money on herself, nu sho watches 'er like a hawk does a chicken. She told me thnt only yesterday." Tho squatter girl rose to her feet, anxious to be gone. "Oscnr, you might be lettln' me have Just a wee bit of milk. You nln't IohIii' nothln' through me." She picked up the pull, und with a growl tho man snatched It out of her hand. "Womcn're a d d nuisance," he grumbled. "Well, wait here." Ho went out of the room, nnd Tolly Hopkins drew a long breath. It wus getting harder every day to get the milk she needed. When Ilenuett returned, sho was standing with her hand on the door knob, reaily to go. In silence she took the pall he offered her. "Looku here. Tollyop," he begun Abruptly, Ab-ruptly, as I'ollv ooened the door. "What's to hinder your paying for your milk yourself?" He suit It with extreme dellbcrntlon, making emphatic the lust words. Tolly throw up her bend und eyed him sharivly. "1 run my legs most off for you as 'tis, Oscar," She retorted, "between here nnd the Itobcrtsons' ; hut I don't never have no money. You know thnt, an' Daddy Hopkins don't get much, either. If I had a dollar, I bet Til spend every penny of It 11 1 1 1 n' up Jerry an' Daddy nh' Granny Hope with milk nn eggs." To irako him understand how anxious shu was to please him, she went forwurd n pace. "An" I'd buy 'em all of you, Oscar. That's as trim ns Granny Hope's God Is settln' up In the sky." "1 didn't nsk you for money," nn-awcrcd nn-awcrcd Bennett, staring at her. Suddenly Sud-denly ho came close to her; nnd Tolly backed to tho door. Ills face wns red and agitated ; tho cords In his neck were swollen whUo his lingers twisted eagerly. That wns another thing about which Tolly's eyes had been opened In two years of growing womanhood. When a man looked as Oscar did now, u girl got away ns fast ns she could. "You might pay mo In kisses," he muttered hoarsely, towering over her. "Ten kisses for each bucket. You're n heap prettier than Eve." For a long moment Tolly did not speak. Her breast heaved as she swoyetl backward. "I get all tho kisses I want to home." sho said. "Here, tnke your hnnd ort'ii me, Oscar, or I'll tell Eve "I Didn't Ask You for Money." the first time I get sight of her." She glnretl up at him like a cornered animal. ani-mal. "I said I'd tell Eve. Til do more than that Til put old woman Itob-eitson Itob-eitson next to your coppln' her kid nn' mnrryln' 'er." Oscar's lingers relaxed, and his hnnd tlropped away from her arm as a rough laugh left his lips. Sim looked so lovely, her eyes bluzlng. her curls tumbled In confusion on her shoulders, that he would have tnken his pay for the milk without her permission If she had not thrown at hlin a threat he fen red she would carry out. ".Men's kisses are what you'll gel, my pretty lass," ho predicted grimly "und If I wus llnlshe.il with Eve. by God, Td set about netting my share. I won't always be married to my Ipj. Itobertson, mind you. Tollyop." The blood had left his face. He was qultu white and stern, und by this time Tolly wns on the porch. " Tnln't sif eav to get unmarried ns 'tis to get married." sho told Mm "An' me I Tm Just Daddy Hopkins brat, an' I don't want any kisses bin hls'n, Td let Jerry's tpnguo go twist for milk before I'd pay for it with with Oscnr sprang at her. Sho was liintallxlngly beautiful, ho alluring even In her grotesque attire tlmt for the moment ho forgot he hud reason to fear bar, "J"' s vou. anyway." ,o snarled but fh ' rooted and afraid, stmt from m nd renchud tho lane ll'o " ' agnhist Iho cover of Uiojnuli, t.W'J "...looking after her. With a 4 r ,' his shoulders he Evelyn Itobertson! Instead of the forne he hnd expected, he was lied hnnd nnd foot without money or won -" 'lie ibftanht of the '-"" ,er girl who had Just left him. Two ears ago womanhood had not dawned iipnn Tolly Hopklt.!., but today- He , aUrtoned nn onlh and went out to ( 'i'olly Hopkins ran down the lane as j fast ns her It gs rould carry her TUP I milk wns Mifc In Ihe bucket, and she had smrrely reached the railroad1 trucks hefnre she had decided not to mention Oscar's vicious demand upon her If Mie told Daddy Hopkins, he would do some harm to lleniieit, and ' there would be no more eggs and milk for Granny nml Jerry. If she siioke of It to Evelyn, there wns no telling what the girl would do. The tangle-haired sounder girl wns the daughter of Jeremiah Hopkins, the ' mnyor of the Silent City, the leader of nH'tho-c who lived In the rows of huts that ran along the lhlgb Valley tracks and on down the lakeside. , t'nrnuth nnd Ignorant were Jeremiah Jere-miah and his kind, and visitors who came to the little city of Ithaca agreed with the town's Inhabitants that It was a shame the Inw allowed such n blot ss the Silent City upon the nnt-rral nnt-rral beauty of Cayuga and Its mnjes- ( tic surroundings. j Tollyop stood shivering, her troubled gaze searching the lake for a boat. Daddy Hopkins had gone nvvny enrly with Wee Jerry, and she always worried wor-ried a little when they were out. Yet she knew that the only way lo get Ihe hrnid, beans and bacon for the family was for Daddy Hopkins to defy the law nnd drag his nets whenever when-ever the game wardens were not about. Without tnc Inke and Its hidden hid-den food, It would be a desolate world Indeed. y Wee Jerry was Tolly's flvc-yenrold brother, and long before he could walk, he had chosen his father's big shoulders upon which to beat his way through nn unfriendly and often hungry hun-gry world, Hut this same world 'which had wizened Jerry hnd given to Tolly a wild beauty, n body strong and as pliant as a marsh reed. With a sigh Tollyop turned to the house. Tho door wns shut against the storm, and a thin curl of smoke twisted upward from the toppling chimney, losing Itself In tho baby leaves of the willows. The little lines thnt had traced the troubled brow vanished at the (light of a slab of wood over the door. On It wns painted paint-ed In crude letters: "If your heart Is loving nnd kind como right In. If It nln't. scoot off." Tollyop nnd Granny Hope had worked a long time to make this sign, am' even longer to nnll It up. "It'll help the Silent City folks, Granny." she had nld. "'Specially, If I smile a lot nt 'ere" Sho flung open tho ilv and went In. closing It behind her. In one corner cor-ner cf tho kitchen, an old woman, so old thnt no squatter could remember her other than nged, sat near the stove. About her shoulders was a shawl, and Its edges were held together to-gether with clawlike Angers. IMuncliIhg on a bit of liny nt the wood-box? was a lenn gont, nn old friend oft Tolly Hopkins. Long ngo she hnd found him, lost In the wilderness wilder-ness of the Storm country, nnd had brought him to the Silent City. The shunty consisted of three rooms. Ilnck of the kitchen Daddy Hopkins slept, and In the miserable coop.luJe where Tolly had once stored rubbish Granny Hope stretched out her weary bones at night. Tolly's bed ranged the kitchen wnll, and the room hnd but a bench, two old chairs nnd a three-legged table to offer In rude hos- pltullty, "I wheedled a little, milk from Os- ., viiumijr, ram mo Kin, "UOUUy, but he's gettln' stingy I" She put down the pall, went to the stove and thrust n piece of wood Into It. "Wood's us wet as hell," she com-plained, com-plained, almost ns If she hnd spoken to herself. The old woman stirred nnd lifted her withered lids. "Hell nln't wet." she muttered". "It's dry an' wnrm hot, I mean," and she shivered, drawing nearer tho tire. "Taln't like this Inkeslde." Granny Hope hnd been In the Hop. kins' shuck since tho flrst winter snow. Her own hut stood on a little point about n qunrler of a mile away. In It she bad Jived alone ever since her husband hus-band hnd gone down In the Itlg lllow, it storm that was a tradition In the f-etilr-mciit. nnd which only the oldest Inhabitants of the Silent City could remember. "Old Mrc had a beautiful , anffel with him." 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