Bisbee daily review., 1913-06-19


 swimmer before he let his own pres ence become known. He slipped into the bushes and slowly wriggled his way to the little glade. The lake was bigger than at first appeared. It turned and twisted through the woods and was finally lost from view around small promontCT.. The trees grew nearly to the waters edge, a dense protecting wall to one who wished to sport in natures solitude, garbed in natures simple clothing. The lake wss too far from the hotel to have been annexed as one of the attrsc- tions of that hostelry. All this the Watermelon noticed at a glance. He also noticed that the man swimming in the cool, brown depths. with long. easy strokes. was alone and a strang- CT. The Watermelon looked for the clothes and found them on s log, prac- ticany at his feet
 In everything but color they ful- filled his dream of what raiment should be like. Instead of the pale gray he rather favored, the suit was brown, a light brown. with a tiny green stripe, barely visible, intertwtned with q faint suggestion of red, forming a hsr- monious whole that was vastly pleas ing to the Watermelons esthetic sense. In the matter of socks, he realized that the stranger had not taken the best advantage of his oppor- tunity Instead of being red or green 10 lend character to the delicate sug- gestion of those colors found In the suit, they were 8 soft dun brown. There was a tie of the same shade snd silk negligee shirt of white with pale green stripes. The owner was clearly a young man of rare taste, unhampered by 8 yexatious limitation of his pocketbook.
 He could be seen swimming slowly and luxuriously in the little lake, per fectly contented, unconscious that some one besides the woodpeckers and the squirrels were watching him. When he disappeared, the Watermelon quickly. carefully gathered up the clothes and likewise disappeared.
 The swimmer was a big man and the clothes as good fit as one could look for under the circumstances. They set of the Watermelon's long, lean figure to perfection, and the hat, soft and expensive panama. lent added distinction. The Watermelon removed the three dollars and ten cents and the keys from his own pockets, and making a bundle of his cast-off clothes, stuffed them out of sight in a hollow log, where later he could return and find them. It Wsz just as well to leave the stranger q practical captive In nature's depths until the beauty show vas pulled on. After that event, he would return, and If the stranger was amenable to reason. he could have his good clothes back, but If he acted put out at ali, for punishment he would have to ac- cept the Watermelon's glorious attire.
 Clean-shayen, well-clothed, there was DO longer any need for him to go to the hotel, unless he wished to dine there. If the devotee of nature, back In the, swimming pool, was a stranger In these parts and not 2 guest at the hotel, the Watermelon felt that he could do this with pleasure and safety. It was after twelve, and his eyer-pres- ent desire to eat was becoming too pronounced to be comfortable. It would be fitting climax to highly delightful morning to have dinner surrounded by gentle folk again, for the Watermelon came of a gentle family. He had no fear. for some time at least of the owner of the borrowed clothes making himself un- necessarily conspicuous. But. on the other hand. If he were a guest at the hotel, the clothes would probably be recognized and murder be the sim. plest solution of their change of own. CTS. Still, reasoned the Watermelon, with shrewd guess at the truth, fl he were a guest. 1t was hardly likely that he would be swimming alone in the isolated pond. in the bathing suit designed by nature.
 The wood ended abruptly at a stone wall There was a road beyond the wall. and beyond the road, another stone wall and more woods. It wal a narrow woodland road, a short cut to the hotel. It wound its way out oi sight, up hili, through the pines. Il was grass-grown and shady and the trees met overhead. Sweetbrier and wild roses grew along the stone walls while gay little flowers and deiicat. ferns yentured out into the road itself and with every passing breeze nodded merrily from the ruts of last wintsr't wood hauling. By the side of th. road, like 8 glaring anachronisrn, { variety theater in Paradise, a vacuum cleaner among the ferns and daisies stood a huge red touring car witr shining brass work and raised top. NJ one was anywhere in sight and th, Watermeion climbed into the tonneaS and leaned comfortably back in tn, roomy depths. s5 'ty
 Home. Henry said he languIdly to an imaginary chauffeur.
 A honk, honk behind him answered He leaned from the car and saw an other turn into the road and com, toward him. It was a touring car. bil and blue. An elderly gentleman. fst serious, important, yss at the wheel
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