The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-07-04
A GIRL IN A
WINDOW
She Could See, but Not
Be Seen
By ELLEN D.

ployers consider a sufficient proportion
between work and play for their en-
ployees-at the seashore. Older per.
Sol who have been hard worked for
a long period. desire rest The young
dread such a spending Of a vacation.
Kirkland was twenty years old and
devoted to boating. he owned a wher.
~ that looked like a thin grasshop.
per. the outrigging and oars standing
for the wings and legs. 1t was his
%pleasurable anticipation to pull him
self about in this topply affair instend
of forcing some other animal or some
machine to do the work, as a man dOu-
BILE his age would be inclined to do.
At Ocean Beach. where Kirkland
spent his vacation. there were inlets.
and when the wind was Of shore and
the water still he did not hesitate to
go outside. Besides hotels. there were
cottages all along the shore. and In
them lurked danger for fine looking.
muscular young men from pretty
young girls.
In one Of these cottages on. a point
Of land made by IN inlet and the
ocean dwelt one of these dangers. Miss
Edith Birney. She was Of a dangerous
age-eighteen-a dangerous disposition.
and about her was q dangerous at
hosphere. One morning from behind
curtains she saw a stalwart young fel-
low in light boating apparel. display
ing fine biceps. pulling past her sum-
mer house out into the ocean. Taking
a marine glass. she brought it to bear
on the boatman and saw that he was
comely. Watching him. she saw him
row to where a light swell was rolling.
and he looked very attractive out
there, crooked in the cradle Of the
deep"
Kirkland sported on the surface Of
the water for an hour: then slowly and
gracefully his sweeps brought him back
into the inlet.
In nature a constant warfare goes
on. Among nations some use enormous
guns. some are inventing aeroplanes
from which to drop bombs on their
enemies. while others Gil their harbors
with mines to destroy ships. Now.
there is also a warfare in love. and
Kirkland. though unconscious Of dan
gel. was about to u upon q petnrd that
might hoist him clean out Of his bache-
lorhood and drop him into the slough
Of matrimony.
He was pulling along lazily when
something drfted by him that at
tracted his attention. 1t was q bottle
about whose neck vas tied q bright
red ribbon-dOubtless to catch the eye
and that 1t had been placed there by
q woman was evident from the fact
that 1t had been tied in a bowknot.'
Kirkland backed water. took up the
bottle and saw that It was tightly cork
ed. with a bit Of white paper inside.
Taking out the cork. he managed with
the aid of a fshhook to extract the
paper. On one side was written. I'VE
are lost" 1t would perhaps have been
more to the point II the words had
been. "You are lost" On the other
side were two letters. e. B.. and a
strand Of very fair hair. almost white
hair. was folded in a smaller bit Of
paper within the larger one.
When Kirkland read the words I'VE
are lost he at nee concluded that he
had picked up a message from some
ship that had gone down. but when
he noticed the initials and saw the
strand Of nne hair he was puzzled.
The hair was undoubtedly that Of a
woman. and q woman about to 60
AN-m - &hn hnk<o~ 80 khn r~noa~ q.
not likely to put her initials on paper
with a lock Of her hair. She would be
more likely to write her full name.
With q farewell message to loved ones
far away.
While Kirkland sat in the boat try.
ing to decipher this message from the
sea a pair of eyes behind a dou.
BILE barreled gun Of aluminium and
glass. protected by an embankment Of
lace curtains. were aimed straight at
him. Unconscious Of any lurking enc
my. he was right in the line Of Gre.
The girl behind the gun seemed to take
m inexpressible delight In his ap-
parent surprise. and when he carefully
folded the paper about the lock Of hair
and slipped It into his canvas shoe-he
had no pocket-her face broke into q
smile Of triumph. Then the young man
pulled away toward his boathousa.
There II q peculiar stupidity about
most very young men az to the tricks
and the manners Of the opposite sex.
Kirkland had no more idea that the
bottle he had picked up had been
thrown into the water purposely for
him than he had that the thrower. In
stead Of being out at sea, was watch
ing him from q house q few hundred
yards away. Nevertheless there was
q sentiment about that lock Of hair.
md be was not 70 obtuse 10 not to.
suppose that the initials n B. referred
Is the owner. But that the lock had
Zen cut from the head Of q pretty
IN purposely for him was furthest
from bis thoughtA
That vsfy might At Z dance .at one OF
~ botss - noticed . g1fis dressed In
GlaafGEGa *