Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-03-17

"All Right" He Replied Gruffly.
her cold face. She cried out in an
guish and started to speak but Eve
Ign broke in upon her in frantic haste.
"Now listen to me, Bob" she insist
ed. rYou are very unkind! What's
happened here is none of your bust
ness nor mine Every %squatter wom-
an has a man, and you can't expect
Polly Hopkins to be an exception. All
you can do is to get a doctor"
Robert passed his hand over his
face. He looked dazedly from Pollyop,
so silent and pale, to the man SO hor-
ribiy still on the cot.
"AIl right" he replied gruff1y.
Come onl This is no place" He
fung a glance at Polly Hopkins that
struck her like a blow from a whip,
and finished, mo place for a decent
girl"
Stupefed by the flood of disasters
that had overwhelmed her, Polly
watched Robert Percival lead his cou-
sin from the hut. After the first wild
impulse to tell him the truth, she had
made no further effort to clear herself.
Evelyn Robertson was going to hold
her to the word she had made two
years agoI Being innately honest her
self, Pollyop could see no way to
tighten her own detection or to still
Roberts fierce anger. Her little world
was tumbling to pieces around her. Nc
longer could she think of him as her
own, though but a few short minutes
before he had comforted her with
kisses and promises. He had demand
ed that she should trust him, yet at
the very first trial of his faith, he had
flung away and left her alone.
Blinded by tears, she felt her way
to the cot. Bennett lay in the same
position, his wide-open eyes holding
an expression of horror.
"She's got a lily liver all right, Os-
car" Polly Kissed through her teeth.
did you lear all what she said?"
Such is the power of habit over a
nature like the squatter girls that
Robert faded from her mind, and Os-
car Bennett, suffering and dying, abb
sOrbed her whole attention.
Cant you hear anything, Oscar?"
she questioned. "Listen, mebbe you'll
get well. If you do, take your old
nanny an get out quick. Eve amt
worth one of your toe nails. You've
been a mean duffer, Oscar, but you're
too d-n good for her. God, but she
were a wicked woman, wasn't she,
huh?"
Not a move of the heavy head on
the pillow gave evidence that she had
been heard.
She was still standing by Benefits
side when, without knocking, Robert
opened the door and came in, followed
by the doctor. Polly recognized the
stranger instantly as the medical man
who lived a short distance down the
boulevard. In anxious inquiry she
glanced at Percival.
Observing that she had been weep
ing, his anger f1ared again. 1t never
occurred to him that his own cruelty
had drawn the tears from her eyes.
There was the huge farmer stretched
out on the bed and the squatter girl
crying beside him She was mourning
over the stricken man! Robert
frowned; and hopelessly, in silence,
Polly moved aside to give the doctor
the space she had occupied.
After a hasty examination of the pa
tent, Doctor Bacon turned to Polly
Hopkins.
Something struck him." he said
shortly. you've been quarreling with
him, Ell, girl? What did you hit him
with?"
Accusation rang against her not
only in the speakers n but in Rob-
ert's in%articulate cry.
"Why did you strike him, Polly Hop
kins?" he demanded hoarsely. "Dio
you? Speak! Did your"
That he should believe such things
of her crushed her completely. Her
head fell forward, but not until Rod
ert spoke again harshly did she an
swer.
"Nope." she breathed. Her tongue
felt as if it we're covered with ashes.
"Nope, 1 didn't hit him! y
That was all she said. She looked
I'D at him pleadingly through her thick
lashes. Perhaps he did not really De-
lieve her guilty. Yes, he did! he was
still fixing upon her that accusatory