Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-03-31

no could give her the least Warhlne'
the door flung open, and Mackenzie
followed by three men, came lnto tne
shanty.
Marcus had not expected to n ms
vife's cousin there after the scene Oh
that morning. A sheer tugged at the
corners of his mouth. Then, remein-
herring that he represented the couht!'
a slow smile curled his lips.
$50 you're here, young man.. ne
snarled. swell, muddling in this pusl-
ness won't do you any good. Didn't l
tell you yesterday what l intended 10
do; and you had the nerve TO upset
INV wife about it. You're making
yourself the laughing stock or the
whole town! Now you'd better go IL
YOU don't want to witness a little
comedy that'II stick in your memory
for many a long day"
The speaker turned to Pollyop.
"Where's that boy?" he demanded.
Involuntarily Polly looked TOWARD
the cot where Wee Jerry lay asleep
'You mean the baby Oh, you don't
mean .Jerry?" she questioned DULY.
He held out a paper which the squat
ter girl took as if she had been IN a
stupor. She held it up, tried to make
out what was printed on it, then
dropped her hand h~opelessly to her
side. j..
With an exclamation of pity, Robert
went to her and took the fingers thai
clutched the paper.
polly" he said swiftly, you'll have
to give Jerry up for a little while, just
a little while"
She snatched her hand away, the
document f1uttering to the floor. In a
moment she had picked up the child
from the cot and Rugged him to her
breast.
"Old Marc amt come for the baby,
has he?" she shrieked, her tone high
pitched and strained. Hes mine,
Jerry is. I'm goin' to keep i'm here
till Daddy comes home so you might
as well all scOot."
III IHG SIllllltNS lldl wi = h0 'ON
broke, each man was impressed with
the %martyrdom she was passing
through. Robert had never imagined
a person could go so white and still be
alive. With an ejaculation, hoarse and
defiant, he sprang to her side.
"Polly," he cried. my God, don't
look that wayl Listen to me !"
"Can he take the baby?" fell monot-
onously from her blue lips.
"That's just what he can do, Miss
Hopkins" thrust in Mackenzie. 1.-THE
law says a child can't stay in a place
like this. You'd have seen that il
you'd taken the pains to read the pa
per. Put some wraps on the child
Miss"
Polly stood with Jerry gripped tight
~ against her; and, frightened, the
little boy began to cry.
81 want my Daddy Hopkins, Polly
op," he whimpered b%rokenly.
Polly looked so dreadful that for
moment Mackenzie was silent. He
eyes had an expression of such hate
and deadly determination in theil
singular brown depths that for a mo
ment he held his breath.
"If you take him." she spoke at last
-"why, d-n you, I'll kill you'll"
At first Mackenzie eyed her con
temptuously. What did such a girls
threats mean to him? Then hi
laughed. And that laugh stung the
sensitive girl more than If he hat
struck her.
"You took our Daddy Hopkins" she
told him, dropping a little at the tell
ing, "but Jerry He's my baby, an l
keep him in the shanty till his pappy
comes home. You hear, the hull of
you, don't you?"
Her eyes were rowing from one to
another, but her voice lowered on each
word, because in the steady gaze OF
Old Marc and his deputies she saw nc
relenting.
"Tdtrather he'd die" she screamed,
ard rather he'd be next to Granny
Hope in the graveyard Get out OF
here, 1 say"
The scene was V e more nerve
racking than Mackenzie had expected
"Take him away from her, Bowers
he ordered, turning to n of the men
The man spoken to stepped forward
in evident unwillingness; but a shout
from Mackenzie made him grab fol
the child. With n hand the frenzied
girl beat at him with all her energy,
but he struck down her slim young
fingers as if they had been twigs
Thrusting one arm around her, he
caught Wee Jerry by the shoulders
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