Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-03
CHAPTER I.
The Body on the Beach.

The Body on the Beach.
Lonesome Cove is one of the least
frequented stretches on the New Eng
land seaboard From the land side, the
sheer hundred-foot drop Of Hawkill
Cliffs shuts 1t off. Access by water Is
denied; denied with q show Of menac-
ing teeth, when the sea curls It's lips
back, amid a swirl Of angry currents,
from its rocks and reefs, warning
boats away. There is no settlement
near the cove. The somber repute sug-
gested by it's name has served to keep
cottsgers from building on the wildly
beautiful uplands that overbrood the
beach. Sheep browse between the
thickets of ash and wild cherry extend
ing almost to the brink Of the height,
and the struggling pathways along the
edge, worn by the feet Of their herders.
afford the only suggestion OF human
traffic within half mile Of the spot.
A sharp-cut ravine leads down to the
sea by a rather treacherous descent.
Near the mouth of this opening.
considerable gathering OF 1olk
speckled the usually deserted beach,
at noon of July sixth. They centered
on dark object, few yards within
the flood-tide limit. Some secuted
about, peering at the sand. Others
pointed first to the sea, then to the
cliffs with the open gestures OF those
who argue vehemently. But always
their eyes returned, drawn back by
an unfailing magnetism to the central
object.
From some distance away lone
man of a markedly different type
from the others observed them with
an expression Of displeasure. He had
reached the cove by an arduous
scramble, possible only to good
climber, around the jutting elbow OF
the cliff to the northward. It was
easily to be read in his face that he
was both surprised and annoyed to
find people there before him. One of
the group presently detached himself
and ambled over to the newcomer,
with an accelerated speed as he drew
nearer.
"Swanny!" he calculated, "if 1t amt
Professor Kent! Didn't know you at
first under them whiskers. You re-
member me, don't you? used to drive
you around when you was here be-
fore"
How are you, Jarvis?" returned
the other "still in the livery bust
ness, SUPPOSE
Eyes. What brings you here, Per
fessor?''
Holidays. I've just come out Of the
woods. And as you have some very In
teresting sea currents just here,
thought ia have a look at them. No
body really knows anything about
coast currents, you know. Now my
opportunity Is spoiled" He indicated
the crowd by a movement Of his head.
"Spoilt? I guess not. You couldn't
have come at a better time" said the
local man eagerly.
"Ah, but you see, had planned to
swim out to the eddy, and make some
personal observations"
''You was going to swim into Dead
Mans Eddy?' asked the other, aghast.
why, Professor, you must have
turned foolish. They amt a man on
this coast would take chance like
that"
Superstition" retorted the other
CURLY. ION still day such as this
there would be no danger to an ex'
perienced swimmer. The conditions
are ideal except for this crowd. What
is it? Has the village gone picnick-
ing?"
mot sca'cely! Amt you heard? An
other ones come in through the eddy
Lies over yonder."
as he glanced toward the indicated
spot; then gathered in a frown.
mot washed up there, surely?" he
said
"Thet's what" answered Jarvis.
"When?"
Sometime early this morning"
"Pshaw!" said the other, turning to
look at the curving bulwark of rocks
over which the soft slow swell was
barely breaking. IF it were the other
end Of the cove, now, could under
stand it,"
yes agreed Jarvis, they mostly
come in at the other end, on this tide"
Mostly? Always The professors
tone was positive. Unless my charts
are wrong. But this-well it spoils at
least one phase of my theory"
"Theery!" exclaimed the liveryman,
his pale eyes alight. "You got a
theory? But thought you didn't know
anything about the body, till told
you. Just now"
ooh, my ruined theory has reference
to the currents" sighed the other. 1T
has nothing to do with dead men, as
SUCH
Neither has this was the prompt
response, delivered with jerk of the
thumb toward the dark object.
'No? What is it then, il not dead
man."
"A dead woman"
ooh! All the same. 1t shouldn't have
come in on this section Of the beach
at ALL"
"Thet amt half the strangeness Of
1t, the way 1t washed in. Lonesome
Cove has had some queer folks drift
home to it, but nothing as queer as
this. Come and see for yourself"
Still frowning, Professor Kent suf-
fered himself to be led to the spot.
Two or three of the group, as it
parted before him, greeted him. He
found himself looking down on a
corpse clad in dark silk dress and
stretched on wooden grating, to
which it was dashed with small rope.
Everythinp about the body indicated