Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1920)

Robert looked closely at this strange girl with her tawny curls, her wide blue eyes, her strange assortment of companions, and sudden interest sprang up within him. "Who are you?" he asked. "I'm Polly Hopkins— Pollyop they call me," she answered. "My dad's the mayor of this settlement." The name brought memories to the young man of his ride with Marcus McKenzie through the Silent City, and of the invitation over the door of the Hopkins' hut. He had thought this girl with her straight young shoulders would be disgusting and worthless from Marc's description. But he found her freshness enchanting. He plied her with questions and was rewarded with the story of Pollyop's life, her hope, her loves and her fears. "You're bigger'n old Marc — make him leave us alone," she said suddenly. Perceval caught a flash from the girl's eyes and a strange new emotion gripped him. "No," he laughed, "Marc is my friend, but I will help you." Perceval laughed again, then pointed to the poster on the fence. "She is the greatest mother in the world," then he turned to Polly, "and you are, I think, the littlest mother in the world." Something in this scene touched h.'s heart. Perhaps it was the fact that he had been on the battlefields of France and knew the fatliomless love of the greatest mother in the world. "Just help all the poor folks of the Silent City," she pleaded, "and I will love you forever." A few days later old Marcus McKenzie called at the Hopkins' cottage, and offered, in a meeting at which all the Silent City men were present, to give each man twenty-five dollars to sign over his squatter's rights :ind get out. He offered them money, he explained, because Robert Perceval had insisted upon it. They could take it — or go to hellt And when Pollyop told him they refused, he whipped out his gun, leveled it at the cowed men, while he struck her twice with his riding whip. Pollyop comforted her distressed people by telling them that Mr. Perceval would save their homes and restore their happiness. They put so much faith in her words, that they decided to draw lots that very night to choose some one to go to their new friend and lay their woes before him. The lots were drawn — and that evening as Bob Perceval sat alone in the library, he was surprised by a tap on the window. "Mr. McKenzie was over today, and he is going to turn us out," Pollyop said huskily pushing the window open and stepping in. "There isn't another place in the world for squatters but Ithaca. We can't go, I was telling them of you, an' I got the lot to come to see you." "I've said everything I could to Marc," said Perceval unhappily. "I — " Just at this moment there were steps outside the library door, and Polly felt herself pushed by a strong hand behind the heavy curtains covering the bookshelves. "Evelyn sent me for a book," said Marc McKenzie apologetically. Bob rose and preceded McKenzie to the bookshelves, and then shoved aside the curtains still concealing Polly Hopkins, and stood beside them. McKenzie found the book. Bob dropped the curtains, leaving, as he did so, two gentle taps on Polly's shoulder. "I'll bet you I'll have every squatter off that shore in three months," said Marc, dropping into a chair. "I've only to catch Hopkins and after I do that it won't be twenty-four hours till I've got him in Auburn. I've got twenty-five men on his trail now. Hopkins is a bad actor — and that girl of his is a saucy baggage." Polly of the Storm Country (Continued from page 82) "I think she is a very good girl," said Robert feelingly, "and a very pretty one." "Pretty enough, I suppose — but bad clean through like the rest,"' Marc declared as he sauntered back to Evelyn. "Come here." Bob called tenderly to the miserable little person behind the curtains. Hf held out his hands, and Polly, knowinir that here was a friend, bent forward and covered them with kisses. She swayed towards him ever so slightly. Bob's arms went about her waist and he drew her tired head to his breast. "Poor little Polly," he murmered. Then that overwhelming emotion which had ever taken him each time he had seen Pollyop welled up in his heart. He kissed her hair ' and Pollyop looking up and seeing something in his face she did not understand, rushed through the window. "I'll marry you," Evelyn Robertson was 85 Polly of the Storm Country NARRATED by permission from the photoplay, produced by First National from the story by Grace Miller White, and presented with the following cast: Polly Hopkins . .WMre A Harris Chaplin Robert Perceval Emory Johnson Evelyn Robertson. .. .Ch?ir\oiie Burton Marcus McKenzie Harry Northrup Jeremiah Hopkins. . .Ma.uricc Vanentin Granny Hope Ruby Lafayette saying to Marcs pleadings in the other room, "when you buy the Bennett farm." "And get rid of the squatters, so our land can be beautiful way down to the lake.'" added Marcus. * * * Though Oscar Bennett was willing to sell his farm to Marcus McKenzie — he refused unless Polly Hopkins would consent to marr}^ him. Evelyn Robertson broke the news to Pollyop. prefaced with an appeal to the girl's great ambition to help her people. Think what she could do for her people with the money Oscar would make from the sale ! Polly's marriage with Oscar would free Evelyn to marry Marc McKenzie. She herself, Evelyn, would then see to it that Marc let up on the squatter question after they were married. "But I couldn't marry Oscar," Pollyop kept repeating. The face of Robert Perceval, for some unknown reason, swam before her eyes. "But you'll think about it, won't you?" asked Evelyn determinedly as she went. "I'll bring him to see you." Polly ran down to the creek, which was her favorite place, to think over her problem. A? she flung herself on the rocks, she heard her name. Close behind her was Robert Perceval. He had followed her from the road. In his hand he had a copy of the poster on the fence which had brought them together for her to hang on the walls of her home. "You ran away so hurriedly the other night that I did not have a chance to tell you that I would really do something to help your townspeople." said Robert, placing his strong hands on her glistening curls. The same look which PoUy had run away from the other evening, now shone again in his eyes. "I have come to love you, little Pollyop," he whispered softly. "Look at me." She flashed a look at him of believing beauty, and he caught her to him sharply. "You are my little dear one," he said tenderly. He kissed her again — this time on the rosy mouth. As they walked back to the little shanty, Robert told his. loved one of his plans for her and hers — how he hoped to take them all far away, Pollyop and Daddy Hopkins and wee Jerry and Granny Hope — how he would help Pollyop with her reading, while she helrx-d to teach him what she had learned about love and kindness, how they would travel, what pretty things she should have to set off her lovely hair and eyes. "I can't marry Oscar, even to help out Evelyn," Pollyop kept saying to herself as she watched Bob stride away. "I'm going to help the squatters some other way." * * * But there were dark days ahead for Pollyop Hopkins, the lover of sunshine. First of all. Daddy Hopkins was taken by the strong arm of Marc McKenzie's law. He had shot a bird. One of McKenzie's hirelings "planted" him with a rabbit, and in spite of the tears of Pollyop and the shrieks of wee Jerry he was whisked away to the Ithaca prison, and from there to Auburn. McKenzie was so strong politically that Robert Perceval could do nothing to save him. Next Granny Hope found peace and rest, and left Polly and wee Jerry mourning for her love. Then Robert Perceval's faith in her was stolen from her. Evelyn Robertson took Oscar Bennett to see Pollyop in the storm which shook the world on the night after Daddy Hopkins had been sent to Auburn. Polly sat thinking of Daddy Hopkins and how she needed him, when there came a cry of terror in the night, and Evelyn burst in the door. "I was bringing Oscar here to see you,' she panted. "Something's hit him in the road — he's out there dead." She seized Polly's hand and pulled her to the spot where Oscar lay and together they dragged him into the house and put him in Polly's bed. Polly started out for a doctor. When she got outside she heard the sound of horses' hoofs, and gave the shrill, piercing squatter's call. Robert Perceval answered her. "I got some one sick in the house," Pollyop said simply. In her trusting nature was no knowledge of the deceit and subterfuge of the more experienced worldly woman. "Eve dear, you're not sick," Bob said anxiously, on seeing his cousin. "No,"' she answered nervously, "there's a little boy here and I came to bring him a box of candy, and this man," — pointing to Oswald — "was sick, and I told this girl she ought to get a doctor." "It's Bennett," .said Bob approaching the bed. "What's he doing here?" "He's in love with Polly Hopkins, and it's really none of our business," said Evelyn with great self possession. "Every squatter woman has a man." Bob's face went white, and he swept his hands over his face as if to brush something terrible away. But he had no reason that he knew of to doubt his cousin's words. Pollyop said nothing to deny them. She was too stunned to speak. So he took Evelyn from the house with hard, unforgiving face, then went on for the doctor. But there was nothing that could be done for Oscar Bennett. In the tin patched house of Daddy Hopkins his evil life went out. And before summer had shone her heart to the world, Oscar Bennett's farm was in the possession of Marc McKenzie, and the wedding day had been set for Evelyn Robertson's marriage. Evelyn, in the midst of her happiness, had only one fear. That was that Pollyop would some day tell the truth about her. So she went down to the shabby Hopkins shanty one day to see if there was not something she could do for Pollyop. "I promised not to tell — and I won't," Pollyop said sadly. (Continued on page 114)