The Belding banner-news., 1922-02-08

When a man looked as Oscar did now,
a girl got away as fast as she could.
"You might pay me in Kisses" he
muttered hoarsely, towering over her.
Ten kisses for each bucket. You're
heap prettier than Eve"
For long moment Polly did not
speak. Her breast heaved as she
swayed backward.
81 get all the kisses l want to
home" she said. Here, take your
hand off'n me, Oscar, or III tell Eve
the first time get sight of her." She
glared up at him like cornered anil
mai. II said I'd tell Eve. I'll do more
than that I'll put old woman Rob-
ertson next to your coppin' her kid
an marryin' 'er."
Oscars fingers relaxed, and his hand
dropped away from her arm as a
rough laugh left his lips. She looked
so lovely, her eyes blazing, her curls
tumbled in confusion on her shoulders,
that he would have taken his pay for
the milk without her permission II she
had not thrown at him threat he
! feared she would carry out.
MEMS kisses are what you'll get,
my pretty lass" he predicted grimly,
land If / was finished with Eve, by
God, I'd set about getting my share.
won't always be married to my lady
Robertson, mind you, Pollyop."
The blood had left his face. He
was quite white and stern, and by this
time Polly was on the porch.
"'Tain't so easy to get unmarried
as It's to get married." she told him.
"An' me! Pm just Daddy Hopkins
brat, an l don't want any kisses but
his'n. I'd let Jerry's tongue go twist
for milk before I'd pay for 1t with
with"
Oscar sprang at her. She was so
tantalizingly beautiful, so alluring even
I'm her grOtesQue attire that for the
moment he forgot he had reason to
| fear her
"I'll kiss you, anyway" he snarled,
but Polly, fleet-footed and afraid, shot
| from the porch and reached the lane,
the milk dashing against the cover OF
the pail.
The man halted, looking after her.
With shrug of his shoulders he
| turned back into the house. For the
moment I've paused In the kitchen; he
could hear his old mother pottering
about overhead in his bedroom. She
was doing the work his wife ought to
do! What fool he had been to marry
Evelyn Robertson Instead of the
fortune hc had expected, he was tied
hand and foot without money or wom-
an. He thought Of the radiant squat
years ago womanhOod had not dawned
upon Polly Hopkins, but today He
undertoned an oath and went out to
the barn.
Polly Hopkins ran down the lane as
fast as her legs could carry her. The
milk was safe In the bucket, and she
had scarcely reached the railroad
tracks before she had decided not to
mention Oscars vicious demand upon
her. If she told Daddy Hopkins, he
would do some karm TO Bennett, and
there would he no more eggs and milk
for Granny and Jerry If she spoke
Of 1t TO Evelyn, there was no telling
J what the girl would do.
/ The tangle-haired squatter girl was
the daughter of Jeremiah Hopkins. the
mayor of the Silent City, the leader OF
al those who lived i'm the rows OF huts
that ran along the Lehigh Valley
tracks and on down the lakeside.
Uncouth and ignorant were Jere-
miah and his kind, and visitors who
came to the little city of Ithaca agreed
with the towns inhabitants that ii
was u shame the law allowed such a
blot as the Silent City upon the nat
ural beauty of Cayuga and its majes-
tic surroundings.
Pollyop stood shivering, her troubled
gaze searching the lake for boat.
Daddy Hopkins had gone away early
with Wee Jerry, and she always wor-
ried a little when they were out Yet
she knew that the only way TO get
the bread, beans and bacon for the
family was for Daddy Hopkins to
ever the game wardens were not
about Without the lake and its hid,
den food, II would be desolate world
indeed.
Wee Jerry was Polly's fve-year-old
brother. and long before he could
walk, he had chosen his fathers big
shoulders upon which to beat his way
through an unfriendly and often hun
cry world But this same world which
had wizened Jerry had given to Polly
wild beauty, body strong and as
plant as marsh reed.
With a sigh Pollyop turned to the
house. The door was shut against the
storm, and thin curl of smoke
twisted upward from the toppling
chimney, losing itself I'm the baby
leaves Of the willows, The little lines
that had traced the troubled brow
vanished at the sight OF slab OF
wood over the door. On II was paint.
ed in crude letters: "If your heart Is
loving and kind come right In. II IL