The Belding banner-news., 1922-02-15


too busy for the last two years to
make much Of dent among them
hut, now I'm home for good. | mean ia
| clear them off" An outward gesture
! Of the officers hand told Polly he was
not In sympathy with MacKenzie's
threat. "You can't judge of the situa-
tiOn, Bob" Marcus went OF. "because
you've been gone for years. Evelyn
can tell YOU what they are, though"
The speaker wheeled his horse and
pointed his riding whip straight at the
Hopkins shanty; and Polly's curly
head drew quickly back.
Zone Of the worst of them lives
Of mayor Of the settlement Jere-
miah Hopkins And such tribe as
that hut holds can't be found any
~-rc-c - IN tnlS county. worth
less tangle-haired girl and a boy half
In the grave and | heard only this
morning they're harboring a hag by
the name of Hope They live like pigs
too
'"rhe poor things haven't much Of q
chance Ia live otherwise. have they.
Mare The question evidently re-
quired no answer. "Well. what do you
think or that?" he went on. Then he
read aloud: "If your heart is loving
and kind. come right in. If II amt
scoot or Why, that's beautiful ~
The warm. velvety brown the rich
mans threats had made hard glare
was brought back TO Pollys eyes by
these words. She could have hugged
the speaker as hard as she sometimes
lid Daddy Hopkins!
Rubbish - sneered Mackenzie.
this morning that the Hopkins girl Is
as odd as she is filthy. The very idea
of having thing like that hung up"
Polly saw the Younger man reach
ont and touch the speaker with
gloved hand
'Love isn't rubbish, wherever you
find IT, old chap" he exclaimed at
gives even a squatter shack glimpse
of heaven. You ought To help these
people. Mare. Give them q chance !:
make something of them, and they
won't bother you"
Burning tears flied Polly's eyes. To
hear him speak in sympathy with her
fishermen friends touched her deeply
/ And he had spoken of love in the same
way Granny Hope did. too Pollyop
had never imagined Old Mares kind
ever thought of the meek-the lowly-
and the hungry Far above the world
up in the skies beyond the clouds
where the blue was right alongside
the crucified Savior, Polly Hopkins
| placed this new friend OF the Silent
| City. Her thoughts were interrupted
by Mackenzie speaking.
/ They're pigs, Bob, / tell you" he
repeated roughly. 'and what brought
! you down here today for"
Polly lost the rest of his sentence
Back and yet farther back she slipped
over. the roof. She had never heard
| anything so dreadful as this. In fact.
she had always quite liked pigs. but
she had never thought of comparing
the shanty or Granny Hope and Daddy
Hopkins to harnyard and Its occu-
pants.
She heard the men ride away; and
once more she sat up. BY raising her
body little she could see them walk
ing their horses along the. road that
| led It's crooked way through the set
tlement.
MacKenzle's straight, thick-set fig
ure made her shudder, but the slim,
boyish one beside him brought a queer
little thrill TO her heart.
Hes beautiful angel himself"
she murmured, and taking up the az,
she slipped down the tree and dropped
to the wet ground. Granny Hope
Strengthened up as Polly entered the
kitchen. Swiftly the girl crawled out
Of her fathers trousers and tossed
hack her curls,
whats the matter, pretty bratr'
| queried the woman drowsily.
II got to find Daddy" replied Polly,
her voice shaking. "Old Mares back
an he's after us squatters a-fyin', an,
Granny"
She paused her face softened, and
she smiled.
Yep, honeyT prompted Mrs. Hope.
"OId Marc had a beautiful angel
with him." went on the girl, "an' he
likes us squatters. lie stood right up
to that rotten Mackenzie. ! heard
him, / did" She crossed to the old
woman's side. Loves able to send a
angel slapbang down TO this old earth
to help us, huh, Granny Hopper
"Yep, sure-sure, honey-girl," muir
INJURED Granny, and once more her
head bobbed forward, and she slept.
Polly Hopkins crept out of the hut
and sped away along the shore toward
Bad Mans ravine.