Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1916-12-14
CHAPTER x.
The Soy.

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 smltten with sunlight as with
scImitar OF fire; the earth fresh and
fragrant, steaming 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 q demand for a bathing suit.
Three minutes later, from the end of
the small dock. he Owed neatly, com
ing to the surface with his aesh tim
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, bands clnsped
beneath his head, floated serenely, sun
light warming his upturned face, his
body rejoicing In the suave, clean, fluid
embrace.
Then something disturbed him--a
duh futtering, vibrant upon his sub
merged eardrums. Extending his arms
and moving his hands gently to pre-
serve his polse, he lifted his head from
the water From the landing stage on
the Flske place motor boat was
standing out. The churniug of It's pro-
pplipr had orougad hin, IIa ccuIJ 500
but 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 coaming-
her head with It's shining crown, her
shoulders cloaked with light wrap
gathered at the throat.
Whitaker, admiring, wondered
Sweeping in n wide arc as 1t gath
cred speed, the boat presently shot out
smartly on n straight course for the
barrier beach.
Why? What business had she there7
And Mt an hour so early2
No affair of hls--Whtaker admitted
as much freely, And yet he was be-
ginning his fourth day on the Great
West bay without having set foot upon
its Creat South beach, Ridiculous
oversight! And one to he remediCd
without another hours delay.
Grlnnlng with amused federation OF
his own perverse sophistry, he turned
m eli al ufv Ia ha
wake OF the motor boat. When at
length he waded ashore he found the
motor boat moored in shallow water
at the end of long and substantial
dock. He patted the TANKS of the YES
sci as he vaded on.
Good little raat" said he.
Walking rapidly, very soon he stood
at the head of "a rude flight of wooden
steps which ran down from the top Of
n way~'eStep sand blur. some ten or
twelve feet in height, TO lie broad and
gently shelving ocean beach. Midway
ing waters stood the woman Whitaker
had followed. (There wasn't any use
mincing terms-he had followed her
In his confounded, fatuouS curiosity y
Her face was TO the sea, her hands
Claspod behind her. Now the wind
modelled her cloak Sweetly TO her body,
now whipped its skirts away disclos-
ing legs straight and slender and gra-
ciously modelled she was dressed, It
seemed, for bathing
Whitaker turn 10 20, and turning let
his gaze sweep up from the beach and
along the brow of the blum. He paused.
frowning. Some twenty feet or so dis
tant the legs of man, trouSered and
booted, protruded from Il hollow be-
tween two hummoc6S OF sand. And
the toes OF the boots were digging into
the sand, indicating that the man was
lying prone: and that meant az he
were neither dead nor sleepng) That
he was watching the woman on the
beach.
Indignation, righteous indignation,
warmed Whitakers bosom. 1t was all
very well for him TO catch sight OF
the woman through her cottage win.