The Lamar register., 1922-03-29
3 Copyright by ut1eGBrown and Company

/ Snt nOWeu nef NPbN IN Sf1Isiul as
sent How she thrilled at the touch
of the warm. white hand,
Look at me dearie," he begged,
and when she did flash him rosy
/ glance he caught her TO him. 81 love
you, little girl" he whispered.
"An' loves the greatest thing in
Ithaca, amt it," she murmured in
trembling confusion.
Eyes. yes" he breathed. Little
1 girl-oh. my littlest dear"
His voice trailed away. and his pas
sionate kisses made Polly Hopkins for.
| get everything but him. Primeval pas
sion rose within her. She had found
her man, and nothing should take hin
from her
Then while Robert wns telling her
OF his hopes and plans. rehearsing his
| love for her and his desire to help her
read and study. they walked slowly
back along the ragged rocks in the di-
rectlon of the shanty.
They were almost Mt Polly's home
before he left her. She watched him
I stride up the hill and. after he hnd
disappeared. she threw herself fiat
upon the earth; and mingled with the
birds song in the willow trees. and the
rinpllng Of the waves upon the shore,
came her cry:
"oh God dear. | can't marry Oscar.
I can'tl You1l have to help the squat
ters some other way. darlln'."
The days that followed. bringing
with the spring iowers floclSs of sum
mer birds. seemed an eternity TO Polly
Hopkins. She went Mt out her duties
as one In dream. In spite Of Rob
ert's efforts. several Of the fishermen
Ind been sent TO the Ithaca jail for
petty crimes.
Two men had been trapped in the
Bad Mans ravine. and taken off to the
| fail without so much as farewell TO
their families. Polly had groaned with
their women and wept over their ba-
bies She was quite sure Perclval was
doing everything anybody could do:
but sometimes the thought of Evelyn's
demand intrudcd on her mind. and she
wondered If she were doing right in
refusing It.
One morning at dnybrenk Polly saw
her father lift his gun from the wall
and SIT down to clean II. Now. why
was he doing That. when he knew very
well he could not use it, She stood
looking down upon nm, ner heart
beating rapidly.
You amt goin' to hunt yet. honey
she protested, squatting down beside
him.
Yep" returned Hopkins glancing
up. There amt no one astir so early,
an I'll bring back something, mebbe
a woodchuck or skunk. We amt
had enough to keep a mess of flies
alive since Old Marc got back"
That was truel No one knew better
than Pollyop how they had missed the
little she had received from Bennett.
Sick at heart. she snatched at his
hand.
ave might hest be without grub,
Daddy" she said passionately. "Awi
Don't start rubbin' it up again You'll
get pinched, If you hunt out of season,
no matter what you shoot. For less
than carryin' gun, Old Mares got
bunch Of our men. You shant do Ii,
Daddy. You shan't, say"
II only she could persuade him not
to hunt until Robert had come to an
I understanding with Mackenzie. II he
didn't succeed-then She knew another
way.
'AIebbe in n little while you can
hunt all you like. Daddy" she ven
tured softly.
what do you mean by that, brat7"
asked jeremiah, centering his keen
eyes upon her.
She leaned forward and slipped both
arms about his big waist.
81 don't want you to go today,
Daddy" she returned noncommittally.
why don't you Just stay at home. an
an"
Nope. I'm goin'," interrupted Hop
kins. AN Jerry's a-goin' with me.
I'll be back before any of Old Mares
spies turn over for another nap"
Polly knew her father well enough
not to make another appeal. She
dressed Wee Jerry at Jeremiah's com
mand, and then. troubled in spirit,
watched him stride away in the keen
morning air.
1t had been decided among the
squatter men that to keep the breath
of life in their women and children
they must hunt and fish, but that