White County record., 1922-07-06
CHAPTER xlV-contlnued.

heafu ner near 10 lInaca, fOll, modueu Larry "Me an Lye gagged 'er."
 Holy smut l" 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 ia a monotone. "Lye found out Old Miss RObertson's been tryin' to reach hold of him."
 "Hope she don'tl" interjected Polly. Not till we get done with his woman. Are you goin' to tote her over here?'
 The man nodded.
 Don't dare to till later, when the squatters is in bed" he answered, skipping on his cap, Tiff you change your mind, Poll, come along over; an I'll cut 'er loose an let 'er go."
 A harsh sound, something like Q chucllle of malicious satisfaction, slipped through Polly's lips and stopped the man at the door.
 "rlIat aint no ways likely, Larry" she said huskily, Bring 'er here, an NHOu LII uOhc Nith hSi, SIS II hdfS 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'-an' that Old Mare done it."
 Overcome by the words she had thrown at him so deliberately, Bishop flung away, and the girl, quaklng at what was about to happen, heard him running along the shore toward hls shack.
 It seemed to Polly Hopkins that every minute was an hour long, and every second filled with lntolerable anxiety. Would the soft-hearted Larry repent and surrender the prize she longed to get her fingers on2
 In extreme nervousness she went from one thing to another, never fin ishing what she began. She paced the hut floor until she was dripping wet Nith apprehensiveness. She had no means of knowing when Lye and Larry would come; so she dared not stir from the shack.
 Many fines 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 peaked roof of fisher mans hut, for between her and the Silent City was a flowing curtain of snow, the takes falling like feathers from an open bag.
 Larry would keep his word she told herself over and over. She was glad 1t 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.
 Her mind brought back to the baby away off in some unknown place, she cried weakly as she replenished the fire. Had the wicked ones of the earth made Jerry forget Daddy H0p- kins who up in Auburn was ignorant of his whereabouts? Many times Polly had taken up her pencil to write him of the child, but 1t always dropped from her fingers before 1t reached the paper Daddy could not do anything and she would not add to his heavy burden.
 She was at the stove, her cold, stiff fingers spread over it. when the sound of footsteps outside sent her headlong to the door. Appallingly terrified, she dragged it open.
 Then, in deadening silence, Lye Braeger and Larry Bishop carried large bundle through the doorway and threw it down on Polly's bed
 Ileavy-lidded, the girl gazed upon l. her eyes widening in joy, joy at the tl.ou9ht of Old Mares misery; joy ii i-E iHRu1ht pl Setttu5 GHctL He irightfuI emotion that sGrged through her bore relation only by contrast to the delights of a few months back. when her willing legs had trotted the country over to help every one that needed her It wasn't the same Polly at all. This Polly lifted her foot aud kicked tlIe bundle none too lightly.
 We lad a h--l of time gettin' Ter .@re, Poll" growled Lye Braeger. Outside it's like if a million crazy devils 5aS howlin' over the hills. But we brought Ter just the samei Now do what you like with er, brat!''
 White teeth geamed through the manaca smile that parted the girls lips. At lastI She had not lived through interminabe days for noth ing!
 "Scoot out, your she ordered, way ing her hand at them, "an keep [ watch about till I get done p
 I}rapyer made for the door ae Ii