The Raymer enterprise., 1922-08-24
CHAPTER xiv-Continued.

heard her near to Ithaca. Poll" moaned
Larry. "Me an Lye gagged err"
"Holy SMUT" 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 In u
monotone. "Lye found out Old Miss
Robertson's been tryin' to reach hold
Of him."
Hope she d0n'tT interjected Polly.
mot TIL 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.
shaping on his cap. Tiff you
change your mind. Poll. come along
over: an I'll cut 'er loose an let 'er
TO-"
A harsh sound, something like a
chuckle Of malicious satisfaction,
slipped through Polly's lips and stopped
the man at the door. IT.
"That amt no ways likely, Larry"
she said huskIly. Bring 'er here. an
when I'm done with her, she'll have
10 be took"
She caught Bishop by the arm.
whlrIing him around.
"An' listen. Larry" she continued
With rruol am nh. xdo tan, .Il tha tt,,.
keep rememberh' 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, qunking at
what was about to happen, heard him
running along the shore toward his
shnck.
1t seemed to Polly Hopkins that
every minute WAS an hour long. and
every second filed with Intolerable
anxiety. Would the s0ft-hearted Larry
repent aud surrender the prize she
longed to get her fingers on7
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
with npprehensIveness She had no
means Of knowing when Iye and
Larry would come: SO she dared not
stir from the shack.
Many times she showed aside the
window blind and looked out. But
the world outside was wrapped in
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 fakes falling like feathers
from an open bag.
Larry would keep his word, she told
herself over and over. She was glad
II was such night! The better could
the sQuatters carry out their death
plan.
Unnotlced 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 on In some unknown place, she
cried weakly as she replenIshed the
fire. Had the wicked ones of the
earth made Jerry forget Daddy Hop
klns who up In Auburn was ignorant
of his whereabouts7 Many times Polly
had taken up her pencil to write him
Of the child, but 1t always dropped
from her fingers before It reached the
paper. Daddy could not do anything;
and she would not add to his heavy
burden.
She was at the stove. her cold. stlff
fingers spread over 1t. when the sound
Of footsteps outside sent her headlong
s..a.d !, .,.n
Then. In deadening silence. Lye
niaese. a"u .ully n,s"op ear',eu
threw n down nm po,Iy,s he'd
'",.W = "osn ~ roa, oeu,
neavy'"uueu' inc k'r, sazeu upon ~
ner eyes widening IN JOY JOY az the
.noukn' u o'o mars MISERY, Joy ~
tne .nousht ol setI'hs even, Inc
..'s" . ..n ,o.,e .na' ,u.seu ..suasa