Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-12-01

spy there and thinks Il Is Drum E
mond. 4
CHAPTER x.
lW n
The Spy.
Already the sun was warm. the faint
breeze bland. Standing at the window
and shading his eyes against the glare.
Whitaker surveyed world new
washed and radiant: the landlocked
bay dimpled with vagrant catspaws
and smitten with sunlight as with
scimitar Of fire; the earth fresh and
fragrant, steamlng family In the ar
dent glow Of the dawn.
In another moment he was at the
kitchen door. interrupting Sum Fats
FIRST matutinal attentions to his teeth
with a demand for a bathing suit.
Three minutes later, from the end of
the small dock. he dived neatly. COM
ing to the surface with his flesh tin
Cling with delight Of the cool water /;
then, with the deliberate and powerful
movements Of an experienced swim
mer, struck away from the land. Two
hundred yards out he paused, rolled
over on his back. and, hands clasped
beneath his head, fioated serenely, sun
light warming his upturned face, his
body rejoicing In the suave, clean, fluid
embrace.
Then something disturbed him-a
dull fluttering, vibrant upon his sub
merged eardrums. Extending his arms
and moving his hands gently to pre-
serve his poise, he lifted his head from
the water. From the landing stage on
the Fiske place a motor boat was
standing out. The churning of it's pro-
peller had aroused him. He could see
but a single person for all it's crew.
Seated astern, dividing her attention
between the side steering wheel and
the engine, she was altogether ignorant
of the onlooker. Only her head and
shoulders showed above the coamlng-
her head with its shining crown, her
shoulders cloaked with a light wrap
gathered at the throat.
Whitaker, admiring, wondered d.
Sweeping In a wide arc as It gath
ered speed. the boat presently shot out
smartly on straight course for the
barrier beach.
Why7 What business had she there?
And at an hour so early2
No affaiS Of his-whitaker admitted
Rs much freely. And yet he was be-
ginning his fourth day on the Great
West bay without having set foot upon
Its Great South beach, Ridiculous
oversight And one to be remedied
without another hours delay.
Grinning with amused federation of
his own perverse sophistry, he turned
over on his side and struck out in the
wake Of the motor boat. When at
Pength he waded ashore he found the
motor boat moored In shallow water
at the end Of a long and substantial
dock. He patted the flanks Of the YES
sci as he waded on.
"Good little boatI' said he.
Walking rapidly, very soon he stood
at the head of rude flight of wooden
steps which ran down from the top OF
a wave-eaten sand bluff, some ten OF
twelve feet In height, to the broad and
gently shelving ocean beach. Midway
between the sand bluff and the break
ing waters stood the woman Whitaker
had followed. (There wasn't any use
mincing terms-he had followed hel
In his confounded, fatuous curiosity y
Her face was to the sea, her hand.
clasped behind her. Now the wint
modelled her cloak sweetly to her body
now whipped Its skirts away, disclos
tng legs straight and slender and gra
ciously modelled. She was dressed, 4
seemed, for bathing.
Whitaker turn to go, and turning le
his gaze sweep up from the beach ant
nlong the brow Of the bluff. He paused
frownlng. Some twenty feet or SO dis
tant the legs Of man, trousered an,
booted. protruded from a hollow be
tween two hummocks of sand. AN
the toes Of the boots were digging int
the sand, indicating that the man wa
lying prone; and that meant (if h
were neither dead nor sleeplng) tina
he was watching the woman on tn
beach.
warmed Whitaker's bosom. 1t was a
very well for him to catch sight {
the woman through her cottage viii
dow, by night, and to swim over to tn
beach In her wake the next morninj
but what right had anybody else I
constitute himself her shadow? B,
sides, 1t was possible that the ma
was Drummond.
He strode forward and stood ov,
the mnn, looking down at his back.
was true, as he had assumed-the fe
low was watching the woman. Al
his back was very like Drummond
"A little quiver of excitement minglG
with anticlpative satisfaction ri
through him. Now, at last, the my
terry was to be cleared up. his futu
relations with the pseudo-suicide d
fined and established.
Deliberately he extended his ba
foot and nudged the mans ribs.
"Drummond :" he said in
clear voice, decided but unaggresslV
With an oath and what seemed
single, quick motion, the man jump
TO his feet and turned to Whitaker
startled and infamed countenance.
"What the devil !" he cried angri
''Who are you? What do you war
What d'you mean by coming rOu
here and calling me Drummond?"
He was no more Drummond than
was Whitaker himself.
"For that matter" - somethl
ttked in Whitaker's brain and 81