Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-21
daily between him and Evelyn.

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with her many loves for a walk. On
her shoulder perched Wee Jerry; at
her side, in stately dignity, stalked the
billy goat, and tied to one Of her arms
by small rope gamboled Mamie
Lamb Hopkins.
Through the Silent City she wan
dered, helping people here and there
TO see the sunny side Of things. Be-
yond the row of shacks was the fence
Marcus Mackenzie had erected to
keep the squatters from trespassins
on his woodland, and in front of II
Polly Hopkins. stood. A bill poster
had passed and left on the fence pic
ture that caught her attention.
1t was beautiful woman, her eve:
saddened with tears, and she looked
straight out Of exquisite coloring a
the wide-eyed squatter girl. In hel
arms was withered, sick, little man
and Pollyop knew that somewhere ove1
the ocean an enemy, perhaps a maj
like Old Marc, had hurt him. Th'
woman held him close as she looked
at Polly, and for moment the girl'
eyes stung with tears. Then she wen
closer 10 the fence and spelled out th'
words under the picture: "rhe GREET
est Mot.ier In the World"
All! So she was, this protector o
the hurt and the sick! The Red Cros
poster carried It's Wondrous message
TO the very bottom Of The squptter
girls heart.
A sound, close at hand, caused her
to turn swiftly. A man On horseback
had drawn up ON the side Of the road.
The blood came in swift leaps to
Polly's face. There was the 't5eautl-
full angel" looking down upon her I!
What could she do but stare back at
him? In another instant he had dis
mounted and was coming toward her.
Jerry slid from her shoulders to the
ground. Pollyop's hand clasped his ;
but she did not speak. What had hap.
pened to her "angel?" He looked diff
ferent; more like the other men she
occasionally saw on horseback. That
was it! He was not wearing the olive
drab uniform' To add to her confu-
sion Robert Percival was smiling at
her in the most friendly way. Then
he glanced up at the picture, his fine
face saddening. ...
"The Greatest Mother In the World,
little girl" he said. and he smiled
again.
"The Greatest Mother in the World"
repeated Pollyop, in awed tones.
"Does that mean she's mother to the
squatter kids what was hurt in the
war, mister?"
"Yes," he replied after a short pause.
"Yes, it means that, and more. She's
mother to every hurt boy and brings
comfort to every one on earth that
needs help"
"GOlly, she's some mother, amt
she" breathed Polly soberly. "She's
beautiful too. Squatter mammies has
too many kids to stay handsome like
her." She made a backward motion
with her thumb toward the fence and
searched his face gravely.
A choking sensation In Roberts
throat made him cough. The girls
statement was like a charcoal draw
ing in which Il few broad lines tell the
whole story. He felt his interest in
her increase. She was the quaintest,
prettiest and most solemn child he had
ever seen. Yes, he knew she was an
inhabitant Of the Silent City by the
clothes she wore, and the thin, bow
legged child, to say nothing Of the be-
whlskered goat and woolly lamb that
were with her.
"What's your name?" he inquired.
"Just POllyOp," was the answer.
"Polly Hopkins. My daddy is Jere-
miah Hopkins, the mayor Of this set
tlameut."
Surely! Robert remembered very
well Mackenzie speaking of Hopkins,
and he remembered too the painted
invitation over a hut door as If it
were before his eyes. Looking PollyOp
over from the top Of her curly head to
the tips Of her bare feet, he decided
that she had written it.
Question after question he flung at
her, and answer after answer came
from POlly's lips. She told him where
she lived. and how she cooked the
beans, bacon and fish Daddy Hopkins
provided; how cold it was in the
shanty when the cruel north wind
swept up the lake; and how wet it
was when the rain fell and clammy
fogS ShrOuded the world in gray; how
Granny Hope was sick with pains. She
gave him an inside view Of life In the
Silent City. Long before she had fin
iShed her recital. PercivalS courtesy
had put her at her ease, and she was
Chattering like q magpie. o
"Can l do something for you, Polly
Hopkins?" Queried Robert, rs she An
ished telling about life in the squat
ters' city.
She aung out both hands in q COM
prehensiye gesture Us much as to say
he could see for himself how much she
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