Mexico weekly ledger., 1922-09-28

the hurt into Roberts eyes. She
wished she was clothed in daddy's
boots and her own calico dressf
"Shut the door, Bob" Marcus or
dered as calmly as he could.
Mechanically Robert did as he was
hidden. when he turned again, Mar
y was seated, with Evelyn elinging
to him, and Pollyop's face was COW
cred by one arm.
Evelyn began to cry weakly.
Bob, dear" she broke cut, looking
up at her cousin with streaming eyes.
~Pollyop's been so good to me"
That sounded to Polly as II some
ID else were to be punished for the
nights work.
mo, i amt" she protested. lifting
her head. II was awful badl ] were
the only one to- blame. / hated every
n Of you. Let ME tell all Of you
about it,
She began at the beginning and re-
peated how she had concocted the plan
to steal Mrs. Mackenzie. She spoke
Of Larry and Lye as her two friends,
but did moi mention their names.
II thought / could kill 'er, sir" she
added, raising streaming eyes, "but
when daddy's coat fell down, an the
big nanny an Granny Hope smiled
at me. / quit hatin' you an wantin'
to kill your woman"
She struggled up and moving to the
wall, leaned against 1.-THE Greatest
Mother In the World" rs If she, too,
would add herself to the vast family
Of hurt ones.
Every one Of her words was directed
to Mackenzie.
"Then I'm to understand" he asked
slowly, shat you deliberately took my
wife away to kill herT'
"But she didn't, Marc" interjected
Evelyn. q
Marcus made q wide gesture with
n arm.
"Hush, Eve" he muttered. ~ want
to hear what Miss Hopkins has to
say:r
yep, I took her." trailed On Polly,
"an' / meant to croak her, too, an
throw 'er. in the lake. Just to get even
with you, sir"
"Then why didn't you do 1T" de-
manded Marcus.
Pollyop threw a short glance at the
other man, standing white and silent.
She cleared her throat, and leaned
only the harder against the wall.
"On a sudden" she continued, as If
eager to finish her tale, II somehow
remembered everything Granny Hope
learned me when she was In the shack
here. She always said, mister, when
you was devilish enough to snake a
squatter from the Silent City"-Polly
! paused and c~oughed, then proceeded
| in the dead silence: Granny sale
you was the image and likeness Of the
good God up in the sky an a brother
to Jesus, the same as us sQuatters
But / said / didn't ever want to fly
away to God IL He looked like you'll"
Leaving the wall she came forward
and hurried on: San / meant 1t then
times, an much more after you rail
roaded my daddy and swiped Jerr!
away from me-"
Marcus placed his wife in the chat
and stoodNup, He started to speak Il
Pollyop; but Evelyn's cry caused hin
to turn swiftly. The drabness Of he
face startled him.
"Marcl Roberts" she said. 81 can
60 back home until I'VE told You some
thing. No, Marc, don't stop me.
will talk.s2 Now, listen Oh, honey !
This appeal was to her husband VIII
had laid his fingers on her shoulder
wont you7Aold my hand while l tel
it2" s. 4 }% @ M
Much moved, Marcus did as she re
Quested. His firm clasp seemed I
encourage Evelyn. and she went on
Darling, I've always been--dreat
full toto Polly Hopkins, and--an
she's been an angel to me-"
She was going to tell 1t all, rage
through PoIly's mind, Was she goin
to bring to light her relations wit
the dead Oscar? Old Marc woul
never forgive It'll Thinking more no
Of the baby coming next summer |
the almost incoherent woman than {
her own happiness, PollyOp made
movement,a as if to cOntradictpthe stat
ment; but Evelyn's impetu0as rush
words haltedaher.
"No, Polly, FIN going to put thlnl
right now,zeven IL Marc leaves me I
? night" she declared. clearing b,
|, throat. ,"Robert, dear boy, / lied
! you. I He'd to Polly and to you, Me
Gus. Oscar Bennett wasn't Polly
sweetheart at all. He-he was y
: husbandl"
/ Mackenzie Suffered, but did N
! drop the cold fingers he held; al
Evelyn wept bitterly, unable to go 9
A horse whinnied outsider but
3 the shanty no sound covaA be hea
save the h~ysteficat eSabifs af Ryely
d 1t seemed to Robert as II be mu
shake from his cousin the rest Of &
dark story. " impatient was he
hear It.
10 ssrhen-vtl1en when you came, my
my beloved" Evelyn raised her tir
eyes 10 her husband, II tried to I
rid of him. I did my best to get 20
Il Hopkins to promise she'd marry Csc
n after he had freed me. ! wanted
4 get him out of the countryl"
!. Unwilling to spare herself the lei
N humiliation. she ended in piteous g
n fusion: II was glad when ] knew
was dead"
At aThen how did he der came swI
is ly from Mackenzie.
y aoh, just as the doctor told y
ID Marc, DEAR replied Evelyn. He y
~&~,,nh. ~ ftoheninO and dfA from