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  [Illustration: "IN HIS LOOMING ABOUT THE ROOM HE HAD STOPPED DEAD
  BEFORE WATTS'S PICTURE 'HOPE' OVER THE MANTELPIECE"

  From the painting by G. F. Watts, R.A.

  (_See p. 336_)]




  POPPY


  THE STORY OF A
  SOUTH AFRICAN GIRL

  BY

  CYNTHIA STOCKLEY


  G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
  NEW YORK AND LONDON
  The Knickerbocker Press
  1910


  Published, March, 1910
  Reprinted, March, 1910; May, 1910
  July, 1910 (twice); August, 1910
  September, 1910; October, 1910


  The Knickerbocker Press, New York



  To
  Em




PART I


  "... and some do say of poppies that they be the tears of the moon
  shed in a land beyond the seas: and that they do bring forgetfulness
  and freedom from pain."

                                     (_From an old Irish Legend_.)




POPPY


Nothing more unlike a gladsome poppy of the field was ever seen than
Poppy Destin, aged nine, washing a pile of dirty plates at the kitchen
table.

Pale as a witch, the only red about her was where she dug her teeth into
her lips. Her light lilac- eyes were fierce with anger and
disgust. Her hair hung in long black streaks over her shoulders, and her
dark hands, thin and bony as bird's claws, were each decorated with a
bracelet of greeny-yellowy grease.

There had been curry for dinner. Horrible yellow rings floated on the
top of the water in the _skottel_ and Poppy hated to put her hands into
it.

She was hating her work more than usual that day because she was hungry
as well as angry. She had slapped her little cousin Georgie for throwing
a heavy hammer at her which had cut a gash in her leg; and her
punishment for this crime had been two stinging boxes on the ear and
sentence to go without food all day. Fortunately the incident had
occurred after breakfast.

Once or twice she looked longingly at the scraps on the plates, but she
did not touch them, because her