Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-26
CHAPTER |.

the New England seaboard
From the land side, the sheer hun
| dred-foot drop of Hawkill cliffs shuts
! it off. Access by water is denied; de-
MED with a show of menacing teeth,
when the sea curls it's lips back, amid
a swirl of angry currents, from It's
rocks and reefs, warning boats away
| There is no settlement near the cove
The sombre repute suggested by it's
name has served to keep eottagers
from building on the wildly beautiful
uplands that overbrood the beach.
| Sheep browse between the thiekets of
ash and wild cherry extending 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 a mile of the spot.
A sharp-cut ravine leads down to the
sea by a rather treacherous descent.
Near the mouth of this open
ing a considerable gathering of folk
speekled the usually deserted beach,
at noon of July 9Th. They centered
on a dark object, a few yards within
the flood-tide limit. Some secuted
bout, 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 nnfailing magnetism, to the cen-
trail object.
From some distance away lone
man of a markedly different type
from the others observed them with
l .Iar Ia bsl n
reached the cove by an arduous
scramble, possible only to a good
climber, around the iutting elbow of
the cliff to the northward. 1t 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 it amt
Perfessor 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
before"
How are you. Jarvis?" returned
the other still in the livery bust
ness. | suppose"
Yes What brings you here. per-
fessor?'
Holidays. I've Just come out of
the woods And as you have some
very interesting sea currents just
here | thought I'd have look at
them. Nobody really knows any
thing about coast currents, you
know. Now my opportunity is
spoiled" He indicated the crowd by
movement of his head
"Spoilt? ! 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"
"Yon was going to swim into Dead
Mans Edy?" asked the other, aghast.
"Why. perfessor. YOU must have
turned foolish. They amt a man on
this coast would take chance like
that
Superstition retorted the other
ourtly. ION a still day such as this
there would be no danger to an expe-
idsal except for this crowd. Whatsis
it? Has the village gone picnicking?"
Not sea ely! Amt you heard? An
other ones come in through the eddy
Lies over yonder."
Professor <ent's eyebrows went up
as he glanced toward the indicated
spot; then gathered in a frown.
Not washed up there, SURELY he
said.
That'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 at it were the
other end of the cove, now, | could
understand 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 nay theory"
"Theery." exclaimed the liverman,
his pale eyes alight. you got a
theery? But [ thought you didn't
know anything about the body. till
/ told you just now
"Oh, my ruined theory has refer
ence to the currents" sighed the
other. ut has nothing to do with
dead men, as SUCH
Neither has this was the prompt
response, delivered with a jerk of the
thumb toward the dark object.
No? What is it then, if not a
dead man.
"A dead woman
oh All the same, it shouldn't
have come in on this section of the
beach at all"
"Thet amt half the strangeness of
it, the way ii 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 a dark silk dress and
stretched on a wooden grating, to
which it was dashed with small
rope Everything about the body in
| Dictated wealth. The dress was eX-