Show tomi polly eq I 1 b y grace miller white copyright by little brown co THE SYNOPSIS occupying a dilapidated shack in the silent city a squatter settlement near ithaca new york roily polly hopkins if lives ve a with her rather father small jerry and an old woman granny hope on an adjacent farm oscar bennett prosperous farmer Is a neighbor ile he la is secretly married t to ci evelyn robertson supposedly wealthy girl of the neighborhood marcus mac I 1 IC cenzie enzla who owns the ground the squatters squat lera occupy Is their determined enemy polly overhears a con conversation creation between mackenzie MacK enzio and a a stranger in which the former avows avow 8 his intention of driving the squatters from his land the stranger sympathizes with the squatters and earns pollys hollys gratitude evelyn robertson Robort son discovers from rom her mother that they are not rich but practically living on the bounty of 0 robert nobert percival val evelyns Ee E lyns cousin roily learns from evelyn that the stranger is 13 robert pet perceval alval val ivelyn evelyn charges polly with with a message to bennet telling him she can give him no more money she already bitterly regrets her marriage to the ignorant farmer polly conveys her message and oscar ocar makes threats he insists evelyn meet him that night roily polly has her bir father and larry bishop a squatter take an oath to do mic mac benzle no injury L velyn evelyn unsuccessfully cess fully tries to get money from her mother with which to buy off rennett bennett and induce him to leave the country giving her her freedom she and mackenzie Mac Kenzle avow their love at the arranged arjang ged meeting that night bennett ahr threatens tens evelyn nith exposure unless she gives him money polly meets robert perch clial al and they are mutually attracted tr pollys hollys feeling feelen being adoration oscar kills pollys hollys lamb and percival val thrashes oscar macken ale orders the squatters to leave avelyn plans to marry Mac mackenzie Kenzle percival val and polly confess thier love IX continued g T then ien while robert was telling tier her of ill liis hopes and plans rehearsing rehear sins tits his love for her and its his desire to help tier lier road and study they walked slowly back bach along tile the ragged rocks in the direction of the shanty they were almost at lollys pollys home before he left her she watched him film stride up tip the hill bill rind and after he had disappeared appeared Is she threw herself flat upon hie file earth I 1 and mingled with the birds song in the willow trees and the of the waves upon the shore came tier her cry oh god dear I 1 cant marry oscar I 1 cant have to help the he squatters some other way darlin a the days that followed bringing willi the spring flowers flocks of summer hires seemed an eternity to polly she went about tier her duties its is one in a dream in spite of rob nob carts crts efforts several of the fishermen find been sent to the ithaca jail for petty crimes climes two men had been trapped in DIP bod bad mans ravine and taken off to tho the jail without so much as a fa farewell rewe to gieir fa families milles roily polly had groaned with their wom domn n and wept over their babies she was quite sure percival val wa doing everything anybody could do lut but sometimes the thought of evelyns derron lemand rid intruded baher mind and she wondered eted if she were doing right in refusing it one tie morning at daybreak polly saw lier let father lift his gun gim from the wall mall slid cud sit down to clean it now why was lie doing that when he knew very veil mell lie could not use it she stood looking doan upon him her heart renting rapidly you aint gola to hunt yet honey slid f liu protested squatting down beside bilm yep rep returned copl hopkins ins glancing up tp there aint no one astir so early an ill bang back something debbe a woodchuck or a skunk we aint load had enough to keep a mess of 0 flies alive since old mare marc got back that was truel no one knew better thun how they had bad missed the little she had received from Bev begnett Be nett sick at heart she snatched at his hand we might best be without grub Llo addy she said passionately aw dont start rubbin it up again pet get pinched flinched if you hunt out of season nn nil neator what hat you victot for less man 11 un car carrein a gurt gun old marcs alares got a lunch of ur men you shant do it daddy ou sh shant allt I 1 sa sar if wily oy site she con could persuade him not to t hunt until robert had come to in an vi lit iler standing with mackenzie if lie he all ant succeed then site knew another ny debbe in a little while you can hunt it nl you like daddy she ven softly what ahot do 10 you mean by that brat acied jeremiah recter orm bering lug tits his keen eye yv upon IT her she leaned jr vord ard and slipped both arais about hits hi big waist 1 I dont want you to go oday paddy daddy she returned noncommittally why dout dont you just stay at home an un xoe X oe rn rm ian 11 interrupted hop kini aln atis an terrys jerrys it a coln with me ril III oe ne back before any of old stares ia 8 turn mm over for or another nap boily ki kw w tier her cathar well enough ISO 0 o to wake anneal she blia dressed Iress cd wee jerry at jeremiahh Jeremia lahs hs command and then troubled in spirit watched him stride away in the keen morning air it had been decided among the squatter men that to keep the breath of life in their women and children they must hunt bunt and fish but that nothing should be caught that the law forbade it was this thought that was running through ahr ough the squatters mind as ho he crept up to see if a woodchuck had ventured out one was sitting up taking a auvey of the neighborhood bo when hopkins lifted his gun and with one sharp crack and a belch of smoke the furry fellow tumbled over the squatter strode forward and was in the act of picking it up tip when thice nieu men appeared as it they had find sprung from the earth and with raised pistols closed in upon him jeremiahh Jeremia lahs hs huge jaw dropped at the sight of them and wee jerrys fingers caught tight hold of tits his shaggy hair drop that gun cried one man and the still smoking rifle fell to the arth it took but a moment to snap a pair of handcuffs about tile the dazed mans wrists it was while Jeremia jeremiahh hs face was turned upward to quiet tile the screaming jerry that one of the mon men quickly substituted a dead squirrel and another went ment away with the dead woodchuck then the third slipped a chain around one of daddys daddes wrists find and led him down the hill to the ragged rocks the child still clinging to tits his neck polly was standing under a willow tree as tier her eyes caught sight of daddy hopkins and woe wee jerry between two men en one of them strode along a littie dead body dangling from one hand while held in the other haud hand was tier lier fr fathers gun site she ran toward them giving spasmodic cries of dismay daddy she screamed no answer came from the blinking blink ing squatter we caught him with the goods ou on one man sneered at her but youre goin to leave him with me she mali making ing tier her appeal to the man who stood close to jeremiah Dad Daddy dyll 11 promise not to hunt no more wont you honey oh coh gody god you said you shoot bothin not liln tile the law said you 1 I brat grunted hopkins then its his eye caught sight of the squirrel and his jaw dropped A hoarse groan fell from him 1 I shoot no squirrel poll he cried out to tier her 1 I got of that big bg chuck I 1 were tellin you about then turning gli glaring tring fury filled eyes on oil the man who had sneezed at the girl he be continued you planted that d n little littie critter on me mister I 1 never shot him Poll lids widened in terror she lifted one land hand and caught the childs shoulder 61 jerry baby she cried madly you was therel there tell what diddy daddy shot 1 sure I 1 was there lie sobbed drawing his sleeve across his face TV amas as a big woodchuck settin up by his hole an my daddy hopkins the officer who nho had biad the squirrel in 11 his Is hand put it into tits his pocket and 3 at 41 1 I 1 I 1 iq i ra 1 nope im goin so interrupted hopkins seized the child by the arm and shook him here kid he shouted none of your lip youve been set up to tell that lie the roans mans aspect was so threatening that wee jerry broke off his words and grasping daddys daddes bushy head tightly smothered his sobs in tits hla hair jeremiah hopkins made a motion toward the speaker but a sharp twist on tile the chain around his wrist checked him film you see brat he groaned they vf framed tile me right I 1 poll n tile the situation in ca an lu in tant stant she knew evir the planting system had bad been practiced on the squatters before at last the law had her best beloved daddy never killed hilled that squirrel she raved ile he an you d n duffers know he you cant get by with like that its croo crooked kedl I 1 here you you you gilme my daddy I 1 like a wildcat un loosed upon them polly flew first at one then at the other site she bit at them tore at their clothes and licked kicked out with her strong bare feet but it was isas like a small force attacking a mighty mountain strong hands pinioned her arms and while she stood raging at them she saw wee jerry snatched from arora his fathers shoulders and set on the ground then they led daddy hopkins away dazed for a moment polly stood shaking from head bead to foot grasping jerry by the hand she ran swiftly after thern them crying out in dep despair nir that daddy must go home with her ber and the baby at the lane hopkins turned and spoke to tier her baat ile he choked swallowing hard kiss kisis your daddy an let me wee jerry too go on home ill be comin back after a bit tell larry they got me nn an that I 1 said for him to look after you an the kid VI with her arms about his neck she gave tile promise squatter women make their men when the majesty of liae law steps into the silent city ill keep the baby an the shanty till you get back daddy darlan she sobbed give your girl brat kisses an heres wee jerryl jerry 1 even the officer who had the squirrel turned his head as the girl clung to the big squatter afraid to load their prisoner through the silent city tho the deputies marched him up tile lane toward the railroad tracks As they turned into the boulevard hopkins II looked back down dovin the jill hill was still in the road and wee jerry was in her arms his face pi pressed edged against tier her neck CHAPTER X As in a nightmare the squatter girl blundered along the path back to the but carrying wee jerry in tier lier arms ghanny hope was hobbling from the coop hole when the girl stumbled over the threshold something avails happened huh Poll yop the woman moman faltered and limping across the floor she bent and gathered the thin small boy to tier her come to grandma jerry dear she coaxed au an hear a wee vee bit about love the crooning voice choked with entreaty touched tile edge of polly hop kills soul she swayed forward to tier her knees caught the one withered hand band extended to tier her and clung there ill set my bird mumbled mra s hope weakly all and she dropped into a chair with mith jerry in her lap there aw awl I 1 dont cry that way honey listen dear heart gods everywhere an ills his love too cant out of the shower of glistening curls appe appeared pred a wan tearful face Da daidos daddys Dad dys Idys been took to jail granny hope hurst out god cant go in a dirty jull jail god cant old marc tirs mrs hopes sudden trembling broke off the girls i words and polly wept again in hopeless misery as the repeated almost dully god cant go in a dirty jail then tier her face lighted by a radiant thought lot its drabness anil and tor for a time slie site stroked the bowed young head bead then ne your daddy lovin levin you an the baby she queried softly that question had never been put to roily polly hopkins II before had granny hope gone crazy to ask such a thing R every squatter in the settlement marveled at Jeremia jeremiahh hs devotion to hla his children I 1 huh hub brut brat dear came more forcibly from granny hope a at if she were debei mined to have an answer lifted tier her head wearily sure sure granny she moaned hell love us till lie he dies then my illy lass aint bel bellavin levin any longer that the god is love like once alx was huh if daddy hopkins II has went ent to prison like you on said then aint god there an doar dear lassie child loves love un an gods god behind the bars just ibe aliu same as in this here beautiful shanty the girl still on tier her knees edged closer to the old w N mans sl e and put tier lier arms around him listen to nihat amany hope anys baby dear she sol folded so lUied ded loves went right along to jail with lift our daddy help im ID ile he can cant lie granny dear ile he can call an he will poor brats answered mrs hope and then through the quietude of the early morning she voiced in tremulous words the promises that had been food find and drink to her during all tile the lon leoniy ty years that hail had passed over her head ask an get it dear lambs seek your dadda an find iro fin little dears dear I 1 one of Poll arms went about I 1 I 1 the woman comans a deck la in a trice t the shimmering chesti out curls curla with locks ot of gray and tap then two quivering wizened lips fell ell upon IS trembling rosy mouth montil say something more little granny whispered polly Poll yop cip oh godal d do what you say ho he will webbe buhr huh I 1 weary with unusual emo emotion florl the womans comans head bobbed foiw forward rd with god Poll yop 11 she whispered faintly there aint no debbe when you got a swat from a hand like old marcs then a angel from heaven instant instantly ly polly hopkins was on her fet feet an angel from He heaverin averil A blessed angel would help daddy nop HOP LIDS kynsl I 1 darlin Darl ln she murm murmured ared bending over mrs hope get on my bed an I 1 take wee jerry im botn out polly hopkins was in the robertson grape arbor before she fully realized the task which site she had undertaken to thrust herself into the presence of robert nobert percival was not so easy as she had anticipated just let find fin alone jesus dear site she prayed and then stepped out from among the vines it was a cozy scene that met her eyes when she ventured into the house the family were at breakfast and marcus mackenzie Mac Kenzle in his riding suit was vias drinking coffee at the sl sight of her he be put down the cup clip and rose to 4 4 1 4 1 t 1 k fa T r he can sn pro he will poor brats brata answered mrs hops hope his bis feet and instantly percival val got up too evelyn went white and an ejaculation tell from mrs lips throwing too questioning glance from one to the other the girls girls eyes settled at last on roberts face Il leyve took my daddy hopkins to jail she faltered hered fa an ive come to get im back the loud laugh that burst from lips brou brought glit a glare from robert thank god weve got him at last marcus exulted the expression of woe died in the squatter 0 als eyes as robert percival val came toward her what he ha ejaculated and then as though conscious of the hate that was directed at the newcomer by marcus mackenzie he be added in III a lower tone poor little girl I 1 come into my illy study polly fully and tell we cie about it nonsense bob interrupted mackenzie rudely let her tell tier lies here id like to hear what she has to say A flush mounted to roberts face as lie he turned angrily on the speaker during the moment lie was struggling for composure mrs robertson Rub eitson and tier her laughter daughter hung on oil the scene with bated breaths must I 1 remind you whose house this Is mackenzue Mac ilac Kenzle 1 demanded perel val finally and marcus sank down into his chair with a muttered apology 1 I come to tell lies mr mao kenzie polly broke out impetuously ive |