| Show to 1111 V U J V Is pa 11 37 grace co dral lus ft f N i ht bv ll 11 ae z omil mcany YOU DARLING 1 SYNOPSIS occupying a delapl dilapidated shak in the silent city a squatter settlement near ithaca anuw york polly hopkins lives with her father small jerry and an old woman granny hope on an adjacent farna farm oscar bennett farmer Is a neighbor ile he is secretly married to evelyn Robrt son suppo supposedly edly wealthy healthy girl of the neighborhood marcus mae mac Ke keezle izle mho w io onins on ns the ground the squatters occupy is their deter ini led ed enemy polly overhears a convers conversation atlon between mackenzie MacK enzlo and a stranger in which the f former armor avows his intention ot of driving the squatters from his land the stranger sympathizes with nith the squatters and earns pollys hollys gratitude evelyn n r bartson dl discovers from her mother that t at they are not rich but practically living on the bounty of robert percival evelyns cousin polly learns from evelyn that the sympathetic st stranger ranzer Is rolert robert percival evelyn charges polly with a messa message e to bennett telling him she can give him no ace mere money she already bitterly regrets her har marriage to the ignorant farmer polly convey s her message and oscar makes threats ile he insists evelyn meet him that night polly has her father and larry bishop a squatter take lake an oath to do mackenzie no injury evelyn unsuccessfully cess fully tries to get money from her mother with which to buy orf olt bennett and induce him to leave country giving her her freedom she and mackenzie avow their love at the arranged meeting that night bennett threatens evelyn I 1 with ith exposure unless she gives him money polly meets robert pr per belval and they are mutually attracted tr pollys hollys feeling being addra adoration oscar kills pollys hollys lamb and percival thrashes oscar I 1 CHAPTER VII continued 7 A sound of boots moving on boards was his only answer polly coughed nervously now this Is what im going to offer went vent on mackenzie no one le I 1 can call make me raise the price one cent 1 ill glie gle you men twenty five dollars apiece you sign over to me your ai squatter rights then take your wom it j en and kids alad aid go EO there was not a word in answer to tills this only odly wee jerry felt daddy alop g kins kills clasp him harn tighter realizing that the stony silence that met his offer was practically a re fual mackenzie Mac Kenzle got to ills his feet you can take it or or go to h I 1 for all I 1 care lie exclaimed lie ile turned toward the door and then rollyce got back her breath and while the squatter wen men watched sullenly she in front of him youre in wrong mister she flared youre d d generous aint you twenty live five dollars take ui u anywhere an where would we gc hov this aint movin day in the me silent silene city youve made your talk now nov scoot along alon marcus fixed her with eyes angry beyond description her own jovn blazed nick lock at him as she pointed toward the door scoot out p she repeated an dont be conlin again mackenzie Mac Kenzle lifted his riding whip and every man with a growl started forward but as the fell back to his side they sank do dou ti again then it was that he shifted the whip to ills his left hard and took from his pocket a shining pistol and although polly whitened she held her ground and you you impudent huzzy snapped mackenzie what hae you got to do with it what are you anyway 7 i in spite of the deadly thing held in the white strong fingers hollys pollys head i avent wont up a bit im the alie littlest mammy in the world she sald simply im ila mammy to this hull bull settlement an us squat stays in the silent city ser see the pistol came up with a click and mackenze enraged beyond control ati uck two stinging blows with ith ji whip then he strode out into the open and holding high the i weapon xe apon passed through tile the frowning fronning line ime of watching women lie ile gave them thein but a fl bishing disdainful alari glance e ind i wien lie he turned arcand polly hopkins P was is standing la the door motioning f the bonien into tile tiie shack ile he came to a defect halt anc anc shouted at tier her ill neer offer money again but out 3 aull nil ill go if I 1 have to burn your f huts about your heads As A if he llad bad not spoken tp olcen polly gave f him ro 10 hoed but ushered woman after A woman into the shanty sli anty 1 I i ruther rather hed a lilt me than nna one it if you boti ete said hir flesh elesli clug with pain in if a pounced on m ini im badly or you larry lied hed a fotij KI en one ot of you deai dead now listen to lu ne n e then alit n me lne told them that robert nobert per cival had haa said bald the squatters should feat n the settlement she said she sh had lind a from rom a man better than old that he would help them and thus she brought smiles back to the faces ot of her miserable friends and as they went away each woman kissed her and each man reverently placed ills his hand on her curly head in blessing CHAPTER vill VIII then came tile the days through h whirl which the inhabitants of the lie S silent city lived with nothing to comfort them but polly hopkins scarcely tin an hour pass passed ed without strangers walking over the rough road through the settlement sett leme nt and every one knew that these men so curious and yet so un unwilling MIling to speak even a goodday good day were doing service bernice tor for marcus mackenzie Mac Kenzle at last one day crushed with tip and despair jeremiah lah I 1 decided that one of them should go to robert percival to ask his aid in kee keeping edg the settlement together roily polly was so sure lie would keep liis ills word to lier her now they would give him the chance its a choice of the three of you roll poll said lye braeger you or yow your daddy or larry bishop ile he mould nt listen to me lassia hopkins mourned debbe be would to you I 1 dunno but debbe before the girls sensitive mind flashed the face of robert and she lild bild her red cheeks against the speakers knee oil oh I 1 never go to tin dadd daddy y honey she murmured please daddy we aint got a chance without some ones help poll insisted braeger you go along an do your d dest for the squatters I 1 all right lye she managed to say ill go after jerrys in bed an the suppers over so it came to pass that nightfall found polly hopkins struggling up the hill to the railroad tracks she turned south on the boulevard and stole cautiously along the edge of the road she had no desire to meet old marc or evelyn As she went on she murmured to herself some of the love words granny hope hop had planted in her memory and when she turned into the carriageway leading to tile the robertson home she held her head a little higher and walked with less nervousness around and around the house she crept until with trepidation she mounted the steps le lending tiding to the front porch and tiptoed to a long hodg french window it was partly open and there seated before a table was the man djan she sought polly knocked once but tile the sound was so faint robert did not hear it hist canie came from between hollys pollys lips and the young man glanced up at the sight of tier her he got to hla his feet slowly then polly shoved the window open a crack and squeezed into the room A strange mixture of conflicting expressions pres press lons swept over his face hut pleasure at the sight of tier her predominated them all Polly lie he exclaimed roily polly hopkins the matter old marcs blares gon to turn us nil out mister she whispered whisper ed huskily searching ills his face on an daddy sent me to ask you to help us robert drew one liand land across his brow helplessly ive said everything I 1 could to make him understand tile the crime of it all lie he apologized iles hes like a carzy danl nian I 1 beant Ic sint see how he can think of such a thing een though your people were willing to go polly we aint we cant go she replied quivering there aint it a place in tile the world for Equal but the silent city 1 I know it lie he returned gloomily and cant lov love e do 10 for us implored the girl granny hope says it con can an once 1 I 1 I heard you say the the just at that moment the sound of footsteps was i as lioard heard outside in the hall robert thrust out I 1 his I 1 Is hand grasped polly by the shoulders andin another moment she found herself behind the thick curtain hanging in fit heavy folds over rows of books which rose to the belling cel ling the door opened and percival spun around to meet marcus mackenzie MacKen zip lie he crushed town down ills his embarrassment and offered ills his visitor a chair evelyn sent me for a book marcus explained I pardon ardon me for disturbing you old chap sit down robert aobert requested with an effort marcus shook his head 1 I cant lie he replied eve ond and I 1 anre rou fabing over something I 1 tow told I 1 her id get a book and come right ba back ck 1 I 1 lie ile made a movement to walk toward I 1 I 1 ard the he book shelves but robert rober II 11 I 1 stomped him I 1 got to sit down he said gruft gruby 1 I went want to talk to you in a minute then returned marcus ill get the boots book first very white robert walked before mackenzie Mac Kenzle to the bookcase then with one sweep of his arm he moved aside the curtain and with it polly hopkins ile he could feel beneath the thick material the slender quivering body and there as the two men stood facing the shell cs laden with the masterpieces of the world and was running ills his eye up and down robert felt that first wonderful protective love that comes to a man when lie he Is shielding a woman evelyn sald said it was here observed carelessly let me look 1 A 13 C G heres D it ought to be on this shelf ile he rend aloud the names of the books under his eye while still the strong hand of ills his companion held up the curtain and the girl ah here it Is came in exclamation there thanks babl now ill sit down a minute he walked back to the table and perceval val carefully dropped the draperies keeping ills e ee e on the other mans back ile he ran his fingers over the curtain until he came to the curly head of polly lI two tender pats fell upon it then lie he too crossed to the center of the room youre a hospitable chap nob bob laughed Bl marcus arcus heigh hol but today ive been some busy ill bet you A quarter of a dollar it wont be three before 1 I get every squatter olt off I 1 hat aliat shore the f fact let of it Is ive only got fot to catch hopkins and the resell tie ile easy iles hes a bud bad actor and that uirl of his Is a saucy baggage ashes a very good girl robert interposed ter posed in deep tones and very pretty too the bookcase draperies moved ever so little polly fl almost burst with joy when she heard those words pretty enough I 1 I 1 suppose marcus conceded but not good ashes like rest bad clean through 11 the curtains boned a little more and robert caught the sway of them out of the tall of ills his eye ile he felt that it if mackenzie did not go soon he would throw him out what the gill would do if marc blare started a tirade against her father robert did not dare contemplate look here marc he burst forth youre all wrong about those people all dead wrong they dont harm any one as I 1 can see why cant you live and let live ills his eyes flashing marcus stood up no harm no harm you say he flared why they steal everything in bl right lit md in a few more bears 3 ears there want wont be a fish left in the lake there I 1 h r 1 I inq 11 1 1 j 0 robert drew one hand across his crow brow helplessly wont ont be anything to catch in season or out if the squatters keep up tip their internal infernal poaching pou ching hunting and fishing are for gentlemen my dear bob dont forget that gentlemen be d d ejaculated latea robert and then the curtains shryl so blat he got to ills his feet and started toward the door blaic lie continued perhaps we cant agree on this matter ut at all but I 1 really in do want a heart to heart talk with you about it cut but not now the fact Is I 1 was anns busy whan you cattle came tn thinking up tip a few more pleas picas for the squatters eli tile the other man teased well old fellow just remember tins this ive got at least twenty five men watching matching everything scamp of a hopkins does and when I 1 get something on oil him there NN wont ont be awen ty four hours between that time and his arrest robert almost shoved the speaker out of the door but marcus only chuckled good as lie he went ment away annay when robert turned the key in the lock lie ile stood quite still breathing hard irom front behind the cui cunlain lain polly thrust out her head her small face and tears standing thick in her eyes im ii a coln afier that pup an swat him she hissed stormily storm lly ho lle lies when nhen hesayo my daddys daddes a setima Per percival rival lifted a precautionary hand not too loud he warned come here she went cut slowly forward her head hanging bringing but when lie held out his hn amda da she snatched them find and bent her cutly curly he hend id over the strong fanger and kissed biased them passionately ely j poor little girl por p or little polly murmured robert brokenly then all a she swayed toward bilm im ills arms went around her and for a moment he ha pressed her head against ills his breast polly Poll roll yop he be whispered kissing her hair oh god it if I 1 owned that lake property id id 0 A certain deep tone in his voice brought up Polly Poll head and she sha saw in his eyes nn an expression that made her struggle from his arms fleeing to the porch window she was waa gone before robert could stop her 0 0 0 0 bobs a queer fish eve laughed mackenzie as he came into the music room where evelyn robertson Rober tsun was waiting malting for him if I 1 kept my temper just now we should have parted had bad friends like you dear she smiled but then of course you let him bother you fussing about the squatters again I 1 suppose evelyn took ills his big fingers in her hand and occupied herself in examining the white spots on one of the polished nails my bly big man mind bona she exclaimed persuasively hotl noting ng the frowning lines that had come in his face iles hes sentimental robert la Is full of half baked notions about brotherly love and helping the downtrodden and that sort of thing the man laughed indulgently it delighted him tu u have the girl of ills choice express his own sentiments so well you precious he be mur murmured inured they cant fool my eve much can they cy by a simple twist of his wrist he captured her liand hand then he took up a favorite topic with new dew zest 1 I want to improve my property dear the silent cites an eye eyesore sorel it if I 1 could get the squatters off the lakes side and buy the Bei inett farm I 1 could make my place the handsomest in the county at the suggestion about oscars farm a different light flashed into tile the girls eyes her hand twitched in ills his that would be wonderful dear site she ejaculated it if it if the squatters squat tern there you could make a vei deiy 7 lovely drive right along where their 1 road runs you this had bad been BlacKen fles idea also what a capable girl eve wast was I 1 lie he took her pretty face between ills hands and kissed her once and then again and again you dar darlinge lingl he murmured youre tile wisest little woman in the world I 1 sly whole ambition is to make our home just to suit you I 1 was talking to one of those landscape chaps up at the college the other day and he said the lake section could be made charming we can build our house bouse on the hill just above there and the farm evelyn interposed that would just round out your place perfectly oh lioney honey do that right away mr bir cennett bennett will ask ash more for it as soon as you get rid of the squatters marcus lighted a ci cigarette garett 0 thong thoughtfully lit the |
