Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-03-10
Gy GRACE
MILLER
WHITE
Illustrated by r. II. Livingstone
Copyright by Little. Blown & Company

lent City. safe at last, and saved by
her. Her head sank into her hands 4;
And sobs racked her slender body.
But it was not long before she sat
BIZ and tossed back her curls. It
seemed as if she had heard a voice.
She turned her head slowly and 10,
Robert Percival was standing across
zhe creek. smiling at her.
Il followed you, Polly Hopkins" he
called, and s%pringing across the water,
be added "YOu ran so fast / lost you
t the corner of the ragged rocks, and
It's taken me all his time to find YOU"
He sat dow beside her and took her
hands; but Polly could not look up
hi him. Embarrassed beyond utter
ance, she withdrew her fingers, letting
Them fall listlessly. Robert laughed.
Her lovely face, first white then scar
let, only told him that she was glad
10 see him, and spoke of girlish inno-
eence, dear to all men.
"You went away so suddenly the
pther night" he ran on. II didn't have
b chance to say half 1 wanted to. I
had something for you, too, but
couldn't get away until today to bring
Il down."
He pulled a little roll of paper from
bis pocket and handed it to her. Won
deringly she opened it, and there was
Rn exact reproduction of "The Great
EST Mother in the World"
Polly was so overcome she contin-
bed silent.
M HTNA-y4 IIIv0 81 1sN&1n DA1lwoD D1
Queried Robert, putting his fingers I'M
der her chin and raising her face to
bis.
"YepI" she whispered, blushing.
fSure, sure I do. l love it,
"Then why don't you smile? ?" he de-
handed; and as she shyly complied
with his request, he ran on: "Tve
talked with Mackenzie, and he's so
Bet Confound it! He makes me so
bot l can scarcely listen to him. But,
holly dear, I'll do everything I can
NFe got money and friends, as well as
has, afd III use 'em too. Will you
. t<ast me, sweet?"
Y She bowed her head in grateful as
s&fNent. How she thrilled at the touch
bf the warm, white hand!
"Look at me, dearie," he begged,
and, when she did flash him a rosy
glance, he caught her to him. II love
you, little girl" he whispered.
"An' loves the greatest thing in
ithaca, amt it?" she murmured in
trembling confusion.
"Yes, yes" he breathed. Little
girl-oh, my littlest dear"
.+0 u;o xx1;oo 4~a;1o5 o~ro o~l Ala
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 him
from her.
Then while Robert was telling her
pf 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-
rection of the shanty.
They were almost at Polly's home
before he left her. She watched him
Stride up the hill, and, after he had
disappeared, she threw herself fiat
ppon the earth and mingled with the
birds song in the willow trees, and the
fippling of the waves upon the shore,
Fame her cry:
"Oh, God dear. l can't marry Oscar,
can'tl You'll have to help the squat
fers some other way, darlin'."
y
The days that followed, bringing
with the spring flowers fiocks of sum-
ner birds, seemed an eternity to Polly
Hopkins. She went about her duties
Rs one in a dream. In spite of Rob-
ert's efforts, several of the fishermen
bad been sent to the Ithaca jail for
petty crimes.
Two men had been trapped in the
Bad Mans ravine and taken off to the
Jail without SO much as a farewell to
their families. Polly had groaned with
their women and wept over their ba-
pies. She was quite sure Percival was
foing everything anybody could do;
put sometimes the thought of Evelyn's
demand intruded on her mind. and she
Wondered If she were doing right in
fefusing it.
One morning at daybreak Polly saw
Der father lift his gun from the wall
Ind sit down to clean it. Now, why
Eas he doing that, when he knew very
yell he could not use it? She stood
boxing down upon him, her heart
peating rapidly.
You amt goin' to hunt yet, honey"
ne protested, squatting down beside
Jim.
Yep" returned Hopkins glancing
~. There amt 40 one astir so early,
N I'll bring back something, mebbe
woodchuck or a skunk. We amt
*ad enough to keep a mess of flies
i've SINCE Old Marc got back"
mat was true! No one knew better
ian Pollyop how they had missed the
4Etle she had received from Bennett.
OK at haaht Sha cnatchnd of his