The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-02-02
.H----nus--lIH----.Iftis--p
Polly and the
Death Trap
BY cHAS. SLONA REID.

h1nd her with his back against the
fence. He was quite different from
Polly's kind, as any stranger might
have guessed. He was a town man
Polly was mountain girl.
Polly kept busy with her milking
and the man talked volubly, as he
usually did. 1t was sunset and the
shadow of night already had fallen
upon the valley below, giving dus-
ky hue to the foliage of the distant
trees. Il was the hour when Polly
usually milked the one-horned COW
in the evening" and it was not by ac-
cident that the man was there, talk
ing to her Polly wore no bonnet
and the mass of curling brown hair
which hung about her neck and
shoulders was ravishing in the rich
ness of its effect. Obviously she was
glad of the mans presence, for
certain happiness and certain
amount of embarrassment, when he
was near, invariably set her heart
to humping in a way that caused the
the color in her cheeks to come and
go like the CLEAN of red ripe cher
ry in a fitful sunlight
Polly" said the man, as he rat
tied on from one SUBJECT to another
without taking the trouble to round
his periods, that COW worries me-
l think, since she cannot have uni
form pair Of horns. 1t would be much
better IL she had none at all. What
do you think about it?"
Yes, / think she'd look better
without any, less'n she had two. But
/ reckon she couldn't help losin' the
other one"
How did she lose it, anyway"
"She fell into blind ditch and
broke it off tryin' to get out.
What is blind ditch, Polly?'
Its a gulley that has been kiver-
ed over with bresh an sich like
That's a pretty dangerous sort
of thing to have about the place
isn't it?"
"Yes, reckon it is. Never know
where ye're goin' to land, some
times, il ye break through the
bresh."
II guess 1t would be we'll for
chap to be careful in climbing about
these hills, them"
las I've hinted to ye once or twice
already. it's good idea to be keer-
full in several ways. Mr.. Gordon"
"Oh, don't call me Mr.. Gordon.
Polly, say Maxey. 1t would sound
more like you cared a little, you
know. And you do. don't you, Pol
ly? There's no one listening, won't
you tell me yes?"
But Polly vas silent and her very
silence assured the man that she did
care.
Her task was soon finished. and
Polly arose from the milking stool.
Gordon advanced to take the pail.
This little gallantry he had paid
regularly every evening for a fort
night; and Polly had come to accept
1t as a matter of course. So they
walked along together, she in her
simple nature unable to conceal her
hearts growing fondness for this
stranger; and he apparently pleased
with her manifested liking.
Later, when the evening meal was
finished; and Gordon, with the Blake
family, sat near the fireplace. he en-
tertaining the rest with stories of
travel and incidental anecdotes, the
apparition OF a head and shoulders
at an open window near where Folly
sat caused the narrator to pause In
one of his stories. The head and
shoulders were those of a stout
young mountaineer, and the face
would have been one marvelously
handsome with the added expression
of a cultivated mind.
At the pause in Gordon's story.
Polly turned her head and when her
gaze alighted upon the man at the
window she lowered her eyebrows.
Ben Martin had been her acknowl-
edged lover for a long time; and
now as she thought of how her heart
had gone away from him. little
pang OF something like remorse
troubled her bosom.
Ben stood silently gazing in the
window for several minutes, then he
spoke in a tone OF voice more that
of command than of entreaty.
Polly, / want ye TO come out
here minute" he said; there's
something l got TO say to you"
The girl glanced at Gordon. then
arose. Gordon chuckled to himself.
He knew how matters had stood be-
tween the two and he suspected that
this was to be one more appeal on
Martins part.
When Polly came up to where
Ben stood at the edge Of the road,
the man took her hand.
Polly" he began and his voice
was fully Of emotion, Il can see I'm
a losin' ye. an it's a brsakin' my
heart. girl"
What do ye mean, Benz"
Il guess ye know. what / mean,
Polly. But l want to tell 70. that
chaps a skunk. Jest . plain skunk.
He pertends to be prospeeun' round
here for gold-but We all have cal
c'lated he's prospoctin' for aomethIn'