Polly Partial

Polly Partial is a grocer and the owner of Partial Foods who lives in Stain'd-by-the-Sea. 

All the Wrong Questions

Early Life

At some point in Polly Partial's life, she attended the unveilling of the statue of Colonel Colophon.^[1] The sea used to provide her store with fresh fish, until it was drained and became the Clusterous Forest.^[2]

She owns two cats, one of which, Paperbag, has a narcissistic disorder.^[3]

She shows a desire to retire and devote her life to raising minks.^[1]

When Did You See Her Last?

|

Ellington Feint enters Partial Foods, pretending to be Cleo Knight. She buys some of Cleo's favorite cereal before talking about running away to join the circus. The next day, after finding Cleo's Dilemma outside Partial Foods, S. Theodora Markson and Lemony Snicket come inside and ask her if she'd seen Cleo. She shows them the Schoenberg Cereal, and answers their questions, before telling them to leave so she can stack canned smelt. 

Suspecting that Polly is not a reliable witness, Snicket has Moxie Mallahan cut his hair to look like Stew Mitchum and then returns to her store, stealing two honeydew melons. Polly calls the police, who arrest Snicket and bring him to the police station, where they put him in a lineup with Stew and a file cabinet. Polly identifies Stew as the thief, which infuriates the Officers. They get into an argument about who will drive he home, and Polly says she'd rather walk. 

File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents 

Pinched Creature/Dishonest Salesman

Polly brings Paperbag to the Sobol veterinary office for a checkup. Oliver Sobol writes her a perscription and escorts them out before discovering his Amaranthine Newt is missing. He suspects Polly of being the thief, but her name is cleared when Snicket finds the real criminal. 

Three Suspects

Polly Partial receives a shipment of twenty blueberry pies one night, and in the morning, she finds them all missing. The night before, she saw a man in a road coat loading pies into a van marked with a french horn, so she suspects him. She contacts the police, who arrest three suspects.

Shouldn't You Be in School?

Hangfire goes to Partial Foods just as Polly finishes locking the loading dock and organizing prunes, asking if she has any fire. He uses laudanum to drug Polly, who recognizes him from long ago, presumably the unveiling of the Colophon statue. Soon after, Snicket arrives and asks her about Hangfire. They hear the bell ring, and she asks for her mask, but he tells her that she doesn't need it. 

Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?

After the Inhumane Society stole Polly's honeydew melons, she lost interest in the store and got hired a Stain'd Station. While there, she gave Sally Murphy the thistle that was part of her uniform in order to help her disguise Lizzie Haines as a porter.

That same night, Snicket arrives and spots her reading a book he dislikes. She doesn't recognize him due to her poor eyesight, and he asks her if he can get onto The Thistle of the Valley. She accidentally informs him that the prison car is in the back of the train, and when he reveals he doesn't have any money, she tells him to leave. He asks where her thistle is, and she fails to lie to him, and then threatens to give away the ending to her book if she doesn't give him a ticket. She stands firm, and he tells her the ending and leaves.

Appearances

• When Did You See Her Last?
• Shouldn't You Be in School?
• Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?
• File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents (mentioned)

Gallery

Sources