The Lamar register., 1922-05-17


Its sickenin' thing to see won
an suffer that bad" he muttered- God
brat Nope! Don't say nothin' till
tell you what me an Lye did"
At the memory Of it, the speaker
wiped drops of sweat from his face.
"She bellered about loyin' her ma.
droned Bishop, AN the way she hol
Tered in my hut for her man was some
thing scand'lous."
Like your Betty died a-howlin' fol
you. l s'pOse. Larry" came back ths
girl promptly. AN l been thinkin
all day how Granny Hope tucked YOU
dead brat alongside his nanny In the
comm. Some awful thinkin'. Larry
man.
The squstter's sudden grayness and
swallowing hard as II something had
stuck In his windpipe was the only evil
dence he gave that he had heard the
cruel words.
1--WE got 'er just after dark" he con-
tinued. wosfully. "She's been tied up
In my shack ever since"
Good 'nough for 'er!" 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 smut" 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
monotone. "Lye found out Old Miss
RObertson's been tryin' to reach hold
Of him."
Hope she don't!" interjected Polly.
Not TIL we get done with his woman.
Are you goin' to tote her over hereT"
The man nodded.
Don't dare to till later. when the
sQuatters is In bed." he answered.
slapping 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 q
chuckle of malicious satisfa ction.
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 I'm done with her, shell have
to be took"
She caught Bishop BY the arm.
whirling him around.
AN listen. Larry" she continued
with cruel emphasis, ''an' all the time
keep rememberin' how Betty walled
her life into the grave. an'-sn' that
Old Marc done IT,"
Overcome by the words she had
thrown at him so deliberately, Bishop
dung away. and the girl. Quaking at
what was about to happen, heard him
running along the shore toward his
shack.
IL seemed to Polly Hopkins that
every minute was an hour long, and
every second filled with intolersble
anxiety. Would the soft-hearted Larry
repent and surrender the prize she
longed to get her fingers onf
In extreme nervousness she went
from one thing to another. never IN
ishing what she began. She paced the
hut floor until she was dripping wet
with apprshensiveness. 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 eaked roof Of fisher
mans hut, for between her and the
Silent City was 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
II 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.