The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1922-05-05
CHAPTER xIv-continred.

Good 'nough for Ter !" gasped Polly
tensely, rolling her hands in her apron
"An she yelled so hard you could've
heard her near to Ithaca, Poll" moaned
Larry. me an Lye gagged 'er."
Holy smutw fell from Pollyop. as
the picture his words had made burned
itself across her mind.
"Her mans been gone all day to
Cortland" continued the squatter in q
monotone. "Lye found out Old Miss
RoSertson's been tryin to reach hold
of him."
Hope she don'ti" interjected Polly.
mot till we get done with his woman.
Are you goin' to tote her over here"
The man nodded.
Don't dare to till later, when the
squatters is in bed" he answered.
Shaping on his cap. tiff you
change your mind, Poll, come along
over; an I'll cut 'er loose an let 'er
co."
A harsh sound. something like a
chuckle Of malicious satisfaction.
slipped through Polly's lips and stopped
the man at the door.
''That amt no ways likely, Larry"
she said huskily. Bring 'er here, an
when Pm done with her, she'll have
TO be took"
She caught Bishop by the arm,
whirling him around.
"An' listen, Larry" she continued
with cruel emphasis, IAN all the time
keep rememberin' how Betty walled
her life into the grave, an'-an' that
Old Mare done It,"
Overcome by the words she had
thrown at him so deliberately, Bishop
flung away, and the girl, quaking at
what was about to happen, heard him
running along the shore toward his
shack.
1t seemed to Polly Hopkins that
every minute was an hour long, and
every second filled with intolerable
anxiety. Would the soft-hearted Larry
repent and surrender the prize she
longed to get her fingers on?
In extreme nervousness she went
from one thing to another, never fin
ishing what she began. She paced the
hut floor until she was dripping wet
with apprehensiveness. She had no
means Of knowing when Lye and
Larry would come; so she dared not
stir from the shack.
Many times she showed aside the
window blind and looked out. But
the world outside was wrapped In a
white silence. She could not even
glimpse the peaked roof of a fisher
mans hut, for between her and the
Silent City was a flowing curtain of
snow, the fakes falling like feathers
from an open bag.
Larry would keep his word, she told
herself over and over. She was glad
1t was such a night The better could
the squatters carry out their death
plan.
Unnoticed by the girl, the wood
burned to embers in the stove, and the
hut grew colder by degrees. In one
of her half hours of measuring the
shanty's length, she halted, breathing
on her frost-bitten fingers She drew
about her shoulders the blanket which
had covered Wee Jerry in his hut
days.
Her mind brought back to the baby
away off in some unknown place, she
cried weakly as she replenished the
fire. Had the wicked ones of the
earth made Jerry forget Daddy Hop |
lSins who up In Auburn was ignorant
Of his whereabouts7 Many times Polly
had taken up her pencil to write him
Of the child, but II always dropped |
from her fingers before 1t reached the |
paper. Daddy could not do anything; |
and she would not add to his heavy |
burden.
She was at the stove, her cold, stiff |
fingers spread over 1t, when the sound |
If footsteps outside sent her headlong
% the door. Appallingly terrified, she
ragged 1t open.
Then, In deadening silence, Lye
5raeger and Larry Bishop carried
arge bundle through the doorway and
brew 1t down on Polly's bed.
Heavy-lidded. the girl gazed upon 1t,
Ter eyes widening in joy, joy at the
bought of Old Mares misery; joy at
he thought of getting even. The
rightful emotion that surged through
Ter bore relation only by contrast to
he tdelights of few months back,
When her willing legs had trotted the
country over to help every one that
leeded her 1t wasn't the same Polly
t ALL This Polly lifted her foot and
licked the bundle none too lightly.
"We had hi of a time gettin' 'er
ere. Poll" growled Lye Braeger.
0utside It's like II a million crazy
evils saS howlln' over the hills. But
We brought 'er just the same Now
o what you like with 'er, brati'
White teeth CLEANED through the
smile that parted the girls
ps. At last She had not lived
through interminable days for moth
lg
"Scoot out. your" she ordered, wav-
lg her hand at them, IAN keep a
'atch about till I get donel"
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