Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-07-16
The Unknown
A Mystery of a
Lock Of Hair
! BY HUrcHINs

hOurs to pass the night and return in
the morning. On Saturdays we closed
at noon. which gave me forty-ive hours
or thereabout before | would have 70
get back to business. After consulting
with friends chose Alton. a ~seacoast
town. where there were a few summer
cottages belonging to city people. some
hotels and boarding houses. / engag.
ed a on the top story of a hotel
where from my window ] could look
out upon the cean.
IL was certainly delicious. having
left the city on a hot afternoon. to en-
ter my room. see far and near the
great stretch of lndulating water and
smell the odor Of the sea. The first
thing ! did was to put on ms bathing
suit. go down TO the water and q q
plunge.
went to Alton on the 1st of July
when there were few persons there.
but by the middle Of the month the
place was well filled with strangers.
among whom young girls and young
men not yet engaged in their life pur-
suits predominated. presume there
were at least fifty maidens of a mar
riageable age, some Of them cOmely.
some intellectual and some both come
ly aud intellectual. The bathing hour
followed the tide. and ome days | got
away from the city sufficiently early
TO bathe with the crowd. These days
were delightful. especially as jumped.
as it were, from the hot cobbIestOnes
Of the city into the cool waves Of the
sea.
One evening about the 1st Of August.
when the season was well on. reach
ing my hotel after my ride from the
city. the clerk handed me several let
tiers. which | took up TO my room with
out inspecting. for ! was in "a hurry for
my bath. On my return from the
beach while smoking a cigarette in
my bath robe before the window | took
ND my mail. One envelope was ad-
dressed to me in a feminine hand that
] did not recognize. Tearing il open.
/ uncovered q Bit OF cardboard. on
which was pinned a lock Of hair
IL required some time for me TO get
az the probable bottom OF this misSive.
but M last | fathomed ii In this wise.
Some girl had seen me and. having
been attracted by my appearance. had
discovered my name and my hotel aud
" had Seut nat this lock of her hair lust
what her object was could also only
be Guessed Possibly she didn't know
herself
fnncied the girl was most like
ly staying I'm Alton. Ii was proia
bic that | had nO acquaintance With
her If | had her act would show u
lack of mnidenly mOdeSty. for by pihc
Ing the lock sent me beside her haii
! could easily discover tier identity
Nevertheless there was u possibility
Of my tracking her by this lock She
was Il hiond. but the shade was not
umommnn There might be Il dozen
girls ~ The place whose hair il would
match reasonably we'll.
Knowing that would be observed
by one and possibly IA number OF girls
| determined not TO betray my inter
est I'm the matter by n critical examiua
tlOn al tHt uulI VI ulifIthl SOulS la
dies So when | appeared with the
thronp on the beach OF in the water
or on the board walk. though ] KEEP,
my eyes open. ! did not let 1t appear
that was looking tOr the lady who
hud seut me the lock
have always been one OF those fcl.
lows who make ac~quaintances slowly
and have never relished pushing my
self forward Ola day one of the
young men staying al my hotel ap-
preached me. opened conversation ana
In due time asked M II ! would not
like 10 know some OF the young ladies'
| glndiy nssented. and the next day
ON the beach he introduced me To a
girl who made me feel nj home in her
comnany ut once. This to a retiring
man Is u great deal regretted that
she could not be- the one who had sent
me the lock, for her hair was a beauti
ful shade of red
Miss Rebeccn Yardley-that was her
name-was an expert swimmer. and
we used 20 battle together constant
ly. A raft was anchored out in deep
water. "a which we would 20 for div
ing purposes. Often she would dis
card the skirt. which have always
considered not only useless to women
swimmers. but Il drawback. Her liz
ure was perfect. and In this skirtless
costume she was II model for Il statue,
while In the sunlight her hair t"nk on
q deep shade at gold. My amphibions
companionshlp with her rendered my
stay at Alton very different from
what II had been before | met her.
noticed that. although the young
man who had introduced me ~ her
had asked me II ] would like 10 know
some OF the girls. he did not further
pursue his Introductions Whether
this was because he saw that APP
neared quite content with her nc.
ouaintnnce or for some other reason
don't know. ! Soon became snfi
ciently intimate with Miss YardIey 10
cnntide 70 her under her promise OF
secrecy that ! hnd received an anony
nous lo.k III hair. %whereupon she said
that We men did not know the num-