The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-01-06
POLLY PERKINS
BY CATHERINE o

Copyright, 1914, by the Mcclure ldewspa.
per syndicate.)
No one would have stigrnatized
Polly Perkins as being insane. &c.
centric, mentally unbalanced, she Ger.
tainly was and another couple Of
years might possible see her com.
fortably ensconsed in a home for in
curables. For the present she was
happily If whimsically domiciled in
q tiny cottage on Long Island. Miss
Polly's mental state was the cause
of rude jests from village .cldldren
and one Of amused interest to- older
minds. Weekend guests vera sure
to be taken past the abode Of Polly
Perkins just az they were invariably
RECALLED by. the story Of the haunted
house on the old farm road. !,
"She's dippy on the subject Of
pink" said Jimmy Rogers as he
strolled past Miss Perkins cottage
with Bob Hawthorne after q swim
in the Sound.
II wouldn't have believed, IT.
laughed. Hawthorne as he eyed with
amused glance the pink-painted cot
tage, the pink flower. gardenap pink
gate posts and outbuildings. II sup.
pose she has pink bows on all the
live stock" he commented.
"she surely has" chuckled Jimmy,
every living chicken In the baInyard
has a pink bow on his neck"
It was, not until q few days later
that Hawthorne, lol1ing in Jimmy
Rogers hammock, looked up to see
a lone chicken clucking away and
pecking contentedly for vermln I'm
Rogers well.keps lawn. The chicken
had q more or less bedraggled pink
bow on its neck that sadly interfered
at times with the capturing Of dam.
ties from the soft sod.
And because Bob, Hawthorne was q
trife bored with his own society and
more or les curious regarding the
eccentric Miss Perkins, he decided to
make a martyr Of himself and take
the straying bird home.
He had little difficulty in catching
the chicken. Evidently Miss Perkins
hens were more In the nature Of pets
than table delicacies. y.
After q few moments Of .reconnoa-
tering he discovered that a wing OF
Miss Perkins property practically ad.
Joined that Of Jimmy Rogers. He
climbed the latter's fence and found
himself facing the back Of a pink
chicken coop. A sharp turn around
the fence brought him into the awk-
ward position Of having tripped over
a pink-clad figure. She was lying, hat
upon her back in the tall grassels
You've no right to be snoring irt
that wet grass" he said.
II was not snoring, and the grass is
as dry as q bone,r the girl said with
asperity. She had arisen to g sitting
posture and was, endeavoring toglcoa1
back the frightened chicken. 81. don't
know. why-al men think that every.
place Of grass In the universe ls con.
tinually wet"
She had got the chicken back; BY
continued coaxing, the while she was
addressing her remarks to Flaw.
thorne. +.
"Are you Miss Polly Perkina7'N he
asked, when her wide-open eyes again
.roamed toward his face.
Z Eyes, 7 am" ,she said. "Ts there
anything else you would like to know,
Rude Persons" she inquired. 'You
know" she continued, II am not.
the Miss Polly Perkins you think I
am. I am her niece" With that she
turned swiftly on her heels and LETT
Bob Hawthorne standing beside The
pink chicken coop.
"You know" she confded to him
two nights later when they left the
club house after q most delightful
tango evening, 81 nave q dreadful.
confession to make" Since Boh's;
eyes were anything but fear inspir-
Ing, Polly continued: q" saw you
sneaking down to Aunt Polly's chick
en- coop and deliberately put that bird
over the fence so that you might
see It."
Are you engaged?" asked Bob
bluntly.
"No-Rude Person." laughed Polly.
"Then prepare for the worst soon,""
said Bob. possessing himself, Of the
slim fingers that he had watched
jealousy caressing the pink-bowed
chicken.
For the best" contradicted Polly