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

She Turned to the Door but Halted
With Her Hand OF the Latch.
Marc, huh, Larry?-Pm goin' back
home now
She turned to the door, but halted
with her hand on the latch.
"You promised 1 could do it, Larry"
she reminded him. you'll tell Lye
Braeger that, too, won't your"
Sinking Imply into his chair, Bishop
wiped his wet lips.
"Yep, lass" he assented with a
groan. "You can turn the trick; 1
promise you that"
If Jeremiah Hopkins had seen his
girl, his Polly of the Sun, when she
went home that night, he would not
have recognized her. Her face was
crafty, pitiless, and as white as the
snow under her feet.
Then she waited stoically day after
day, feeding the billy goat but absent
mindedly, asking no questions of Larry
or Lye Braeger how soon her idea
could be carried out. She believed
that they would leave no stone I'M
turned to ever up with Marcus Mac
Kenzie.
Early one evening Larry Bishop
burst into the Hopkins hut without the
formality of a knock. He looked years
older than he had but yesterday; and
Pollyup got up, locking and interlock-
ing her fingers.
"WelI?" she asked from between
chattering teeth.
"It's done, by God!" he Kissed, al
most strangling behind a shaking hand.
at were most awful, Polly. If I'd
stuck a hog in the gizZard, the squeal-
in couldn't "a been worser."
The speakers tones, his half-bent hg-
ure, his shifty glances, brought a
grunt from the girl.
can you're gettin' sorry by the min
ute, Larry Bishop, 1 can e that" she
returned, giving him a smart rap.
"Stand up, Larry man. Once" A
sudden rush of emotion thrust into her
throat such an ache that for several
seconds she was unable to conclude.
"Once," she repeated, after clearing
away the huskiness with a hacking
cough, 81 thought love were the great
est thing in the world. But it amt,
Larry Bishop, it ANTI"
Bishop fdgeted with his cap, turning
It around and around by its brim.
When he looked up, the burning glow
had died from the depths of his eyes.
ITS a sickenin' thing to see a wom-
an suffer that bad" he muttered. "God,
brat!-Nopel Don't say nothin' till ]
tell YOU what me an Lye did,"
AT the emo of it, the speaker
wiped drops of sweat from his face
"She bellered about lovin' her ma,
droned Bishop, IAN the way she hoi'
Tered in my hut for her man was some
thing scand'lous."
"Like your Betty died a-howlin' for
YOU, 1 s'pose, Larry" came back the
girl promptly. AN 1 been thinkin
all day how Granny Hope tucked your
dead brat alongside his nanny In the
coffin. Some awful thinkin', Larry
mani"
The squatter's sudden grayness n
swallowing hard as if something a
stuck in his windpipe was the only evil
dence he gave that he had heard the
cruel words.
1--WE got 'er just after dark" he con-
tinued. woefully. "She's been tied up
in my shack ever since"
Good 'nough for 'er!" gasped Polly,
tensely, rolling her hands in her apron.
San she yelled so hard you could've
heard her near to Ithaca, Poll" moaned
Larry. "Me an Lye gagged 'er."
"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 a
monotone. 'Lye found out Ola MISS
Robertson's been tryin' to reach holo
of him."
"Hope she don'tl" INTERCEPTED Polly.
"Not till we get done with his woman
Are YOU goin' to tote her over hereF
The man nodded.
"Don't dare to till later, whe the
squatters is in bed" ne answered.
s,annine on his cap. "If-if you
change your mind, Poll, come along
over; an I'll cut 'er loose an let er
CO." ,,,o
chuckle of malicious satisfaction,
slipned through Polly's lips and stopped