Show po L by grace miller ml ihrer amt copyright by little ez co CHAPTER XI continued 11 slinking shaking off tier superstitious terror beelin touched the prostrate nian man peri lie was lead dead and out of somewhere a thought shot into tier her mind that if lie he were tier her troubles were over 1 I dont know she whispered gut but he looks sol shoved evelyn nida and 61 slipped her arm under bennetts head to have lost all aversion to him slie site realized then only that a human being was suffering perli perhaps tiPs dead at tier tender touch the mans loans eyes pow new open and paille stricken withdrew tier her arm and was lack back beside the other girl before slie she spoke iles hes got life in jilin him iniss ene ee she between tier teeth look at its his eyes god aint it awful quietly oscar lay gazing fit at the girls as they stared tit at him roily polly was the first to go to lo him frel feel awful sick eh oscar she asked in a low tone the man did not answer even by a movement of ills his lids lie ile cant talk she went on looking around at evelyn lie ile ought to hav a doctor cant ion go up tip to file boulevard an get doc bacon A fresh burst of tears so choked evelin evel n robertson that flint for a spice space she could not answer no I 1 cant go out in tills this awful storm again slie she finally replied of corse I 1 cant she repented repeated swallowing im afraid I 1 wont go I 1 wont take a step if any one goes then stay by him interjected roily dully an ill so go ashamed to declare that she was afield to be left alone with oscor oscar lively watched as she went out and softly closed the file door behind lier her roily hopkins II lingered several moments to accustom tier lier eyes to the nights blackness beyond to the east cast lake cayuga rushed on toward ithaca as is if its intentions were anere to si swallow allow tiie the little tonn tomi in ili one huge mouthful pol iol hyop crooned over mechanically words which fell hourly from granny hope ask an it shall be given thee she then if so let me get some one to help oscar through the clatter if the elements she heard the sound of footsteps off in the dark road an ali answer to her lunger was about to step out of the night gloom she hoped it was larry bishop lir r lye Brac bracher ger opening g tier her aps mie gave the weird bryd crying squat ter call of the alie storm country aud and a ole bolce that clutched at lier her heart answered tier lier then by the next nest flash of jagged lightning she saw robert percival coming toward tier her Is that you roily be called the matter yep she faltered timidly 1 I got some gome one sick in the shanty of all the people she hail had expected to see lie was the last As she waited for him to approach Poll active mind grasped the fact that now robert would know what hat his cousin had done she saw no way to keep hini him in ignorance of evelyns relation to oscar and she was too excited to think of an excuse to keep bin outside 1 I pc hyop corr fenced robert 1 I lind to see you if only for a few minutes wait a second before you go in confused and agitated the girl did vot ot str a step until lie was bending pier 01 er her one arm went avent around her f f boulders one tender hand pressed tier her tend head against ills his breast daddys daddes Dad dys gone she choked almost inaudibly took him to auburn anburn huh huble yes dear child answered robert his own throat full with emotion hut but what I 1 came to tell you is this leor ilear ive already set things moving to bring liim him back I 1 sleep tonight until I 1 saw you A long shudder ran the length of pollys hollys body her legs grew so weale weak mie i he would have fallen but for the barong arms holding tier her up 1 I want him awful bad came up in s breath to he pale young man and I 1 say bay polly dear that hes coming home repeated robert and every day I 1 want you to expect him will you trust me darling ue ie had asked tier her that question onee once nut but that was before old marc hild had railroaded daddy hopkins to auburn anburn will sou Poll yop urged robert enss cly lifting her face and laying his warm arm lips on oil liers hers etli wilt coming coining breaths slie she hung flung koball anus ti round around hs neck bock ill trust you every day an all day she hesitated gatei and turned tier nead head A sound in the hut but had fright betted lier she knew robeet lind heard it too for lie reached out his hapai to open the door well go in ili said lie he taking tier her prin and gathering both of tier her hands into ills by a sudden movement polly all Iu bcd blied him back backward viard id d rattler raider malke make oft off she told jilin unsteadily melbe I 1 can find a squatter no N u my illy dear returned robert nobert you beci need help belp and im here jou e i sint ant call aai uny one else hp was speaking he be bad dis als engaged ills his hands ana had lifted the latch trembling from head to foot roily folly op followed him into the hut but when robert caught sight of ills his pale cousin lie stopped slopped short youre not III eve dear lie he cried going to tier her quickly tolly roily said soule some une lie vas nas sick here ile ho glanced around the shanty A throb of happiness made ills his pulses beat taster faster the greatest mother in ili file world still held her place ou on the wall vall while lie he was contemplating the wonder of the picture ills his thoughts went back to the day lie he had given it to ills his littlest mother in ili the world billy goat hopkins in the woud box bos brought his thoughts back but not soon enough to catch the meaning glance that evelyn shot at the squatter girl who was gazing steadily at her with a fling of contempt miss hiss 1 Ko oher bertson tsou walked to him and laid tier her hand hall on oil its ills arm no im not the least sick bob but but just now m slie she hesitated then continued hurriedly theres a little boy liere here and I 1 often bring him food and candy when I 1 got here she whirled around and lung flung her liand hand toward the cot this nian man was so terribly sick that I 1 told roily II she ought to get a doctor naturally I 1 consented to stay until some one else cattle came but I 1 net never er expected you the explanation brought a groan roan from Poll yop slowly robert drew ills his gaze from oscars pallid countenance and turned to tier her ue he looked so shocked and hurt that she impulsively moved toward him howd lie he come here robert exclaimed going to the bedside why its bennett Ben uett lie he doing here so passionate were ere his tones so full of that thai demanding quality tearing fearing would tell the truth again caught hold of him lies hes in love wll wilh polly hopkins bob slie she offered trying to speak calmly and really its none of our business Is it but I 1 do think he ought to have a i doctor robert staggered back flashing a glance at the squatter girl which seemed to burn tier her through and through i 1 are you married to him he demanded of tier her her pale lips framed the single NN word ord no then liow how in gods name came lie he here in your two strides brought him so close cloe that roily polly felt his hot breath against tier her cold face she cried out in anguish and started to speak but evelyn broke in upon tier her in frantic haste hasle now listen to me bob slie she insist t ed you are very unkind happened here Is none of your business nor mine every squatter woman lias has a man and you cant expect polly hopkins II to be an exception all you can to do Is to get a doctor robert passed ills his hand over his face ile he looked dazedly from Poll yop kl V 77 J 1 f 1 all right he replied gruffly so silent and pale to the man so horribly still on oil the cot all right he replied grundy come on oil this is no place 2 lie ile flung a glance at polly hopkins that eliat struck her liko a blow from a whip and finished no place for a decent girl eirl stupefied hy by the flood of disasters that had olvera overwhelmed lie her polly bathed watt lied robert Perel val lead his cousin from the hut after the first wild nill lin impulse pulse to tell him film the truth she hild had made no further effort to clear her herself elf evelyn robertson Rober lson wits was going to hold tier lier to the word slie she had matle made awn years ago being hini finitely tely honest tier herself could see no way to tn lighten tier her own dejection or to still Itoi berts fierce anger her little world was tumbling to pieces around tier her N no longer could rhe re think of oc him hill as lip own though but a few short oll minute allnut nut before he hal had comforted tier her will pg q up ife lind it 1 ed cd that ahe he should trust him yet tit al the very first trial of his faith he had hung flung away and left her alone blinded by tears she felt tier her way to the cot bennett lay in inthe the same alio llio position sit loll ills his wide open eyes holding an expression ot of horror ashes gut got a illy liver all right OR oscar polly hissed through her teeth did you hear all what lilt she sald such Is the power of habit over a natcie like the squatter girls that robert faded bioni tier her mind and oscar bennett suffering aud and dying absorbed her whole attention tit cant you hoar tiny anything thing oscar she questioned Ll listen sten kniebbe get well if you do take your old lim mummy milly an got get out quick uve eve aint worth one of your toe nalls nails youve been a mean duffer oscar tut hut youre too d n good for tier her goj god but she eie a wicked woman she huh not a move of the heavy tu avy head on the alie pillow gae evidence that she had been heard site she was still standing by bennetts sido side when without knocking robert hubert opened the door and came in followed by the doctor roily recognized the stranger instantly as the medical man who lied a short distance down the boulevard in iii anxious inquiry she glanced at percival Ier cival observing that she had been weeping ills his anger flared again it never occurred to jilin that his own cruelty had drawn the tears from tier her eyes there was the huge former farmer stretched out on the bed and the squatter girl crying beside him 1 she was mourning over the stricken man robert fro frowned froines ined and hopelessly in silence roily moved aside to give the doctor the space she had occupied after a hasty examination of the patient doctor bacon turned to roily polly 12 Hop klus something struck him he said shortly youve been quarreling with inith him oil eh gill what did you lilt him with accusation ring rang against her not only in the speakers tones hut but in rob eils inarticulate cry why did you jilin him roily polly hopkins lie he demanded hoarsely did you speak did you that lie should believe such things thing of tier her crushed tier lier completely her head fell forward but not until robert spoke again harshly did she tin answer nope slie she bren breathed thed her bior toli tongue glie felt as if it were covered with ashes nope I 1 lilt hit him that was all she said she looked up tip at him pleadingly through tier lier thick lashes Perli tips lie he ill did not really believe tier lier guilty yes lie he did ile he was still using fixing upon her that accusatory gaze hed billed hotter better be moved out of this hole bolo observed the lie doctor looking around but its an awful night ile he considered a moment and then added ill telephone telephone to ithaca tor for an ambulance sternly he directed a look ionic of disgust at roily polly lie he hated attending the squatters anyway and never wo would bild have consented to enter the silent city if robert percival had not come for him aghast at the horror of the emergency seemed not to notice the physicians contempt Is lie coln to dle die mister she queried plaintively 1 I dont know lie replied in gruff indecision as lie prepared a draught when within human power bad been done one for oscar bell nett robert allowed the doctor to pass out of the hut before him then like a shot he turned back to pollys hollys side ills ees blazed with jealousy and quickly it cro chosed crossed sed tier her mind that lie was going to strike tier her oil oh how slie she vis wished lied lie and then take back all the chuel words lie he had hurled at al tier lier when yon yoi said you loed me ine you tied lied lie gritted gritter sav savagely abely you knew all the ahne iou hail had hini you yon let me lue kiss you you sald love was vas the greatest t thing in the world oh god how I 1 wish I 1 could hate you roily polly could not speak neither cou could I 1 d slie she move imprisoned tragedy lay in the depths of tier lier eyes if lie it biad tit been less violent slie she would have implored him to trust tier lier pereival percival really hoped she would resent liis ills accusations stormy denials would have been sweet cot music to ills his cars ile he would have welcomed welcome even aeu a torrent of abuse from tier lier anything wits was less maddening than tills sinister sl silence lence alit that seemed to put the alie stamp of truth upon his cousins explanation of bennetts benin its presence why dont non ou speak he rasped when slip she show no signs of answering lip turned to t go the door was nas swinging in ili his litt huml rid hut but ile he did not pass out it was as though the n gony agony scorching him fused ili all ills his emotions and in a hash lie realized zeI flint lie ile loved lier her jut just the same no matter what hat she ila had done lie he loved toy her ter and no woman 10 in the world could or would take her place lie ie whirled rIed around hid with one sweep gattle led her into liis ills arms unmindful ill of the man on oil ilip bed lie he showered kisses upon tier her hair hr li h r cies and lastly seared scared her lips by ili hi Dassi passionate onate caresses trust nc ine she gasped sped please lease trust me A contemptuous us laugh fell from him trust you lie grated that I 1 will hotl not ill never trust you gain but youre mine just the file stif same tle D do you hear bear you belong to nie me but after tills this ill watch every every step you take and and ile he almot almost crushed tier her into unconsciousness ness anil and slie she hung in ills his arms a fragile beaten thing too tired to cry out too talo weak to plead then all of a sudden robert loosened ills his hold upon tier her strode to tho tha noor ioor or ard without a backward glance opened it and was pone gone for a long time after he be had left the th hut but prone upon the rough shanty i it ili I 1 pa 3 ai ik 14 large drops appeared on bennetts brow and granny hope lifted one withered hand and brushed them away boards she strained lier her eyes at the door as if a ghost had just passed through it granny hopes voice called tier her name and slie she came limping out of tier room on her stick 1 I heard a lot of folks rol pol hyop slip said an I 1 got awful pains tonight its the storm I 1 guess almost exhausted forced herself to stand up tip you ought to be out of bed granny grandy slie she remonstrated yep I 1 guess its the rain ft hat makes you ache then mrs hope noticed bennett Ben uett ills his eyes gazed at tier her a moment and then moved back to roily polly the old woman hobbled to the cot and roily came to tier her side silently iles hes awful sick I 1 guess aint he be observed nars sirs hope looking up into the girls face Ye yep lit the affirmative was as but a breath coin to ile die huh whispered theother A deep sob rose to the girls lips brought almost to utterance by her intense suffering debbe Meb be was all she could say poor ioor man the woman muttered wi wrinkling Inkling up lip tier her face dains awful hard thin tiling for some folks A startled expression smoothing smoot hins away some of the hard lines spread over oscars face in the presence of death which every squatter I 1 held 1 clot in superstitious awe roily polly drolc dropped down upon tier |