The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-11-15
CHAPTER X.
The Spy.

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 a
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 Il demand for 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, floated 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 F'iske place Il motor boat was
standing out. The churning of it's pro-
peller had aroused him. He could see
but a single person for all its 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 its shining crown, her
shoulders cloaked with q light wrap
gathered at the throat.
Whitaker admiring, wondered
Sweeping in a wide arc as it gath
cred speed, the boat presently shot out
smartly on a straight course for the
barrier beach.
Why? What business had she there
And at an hour so early?
No affair of his-Whitaker admitted
as 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 al
length he waded ashore he found the
motor boat mOored in shallow water
dock. He patted the TANKS of the YES
sci as he waded on.
Good little boatl'' 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
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 =
Her face was to the sea, her hands
clasped behind her. Now the wine
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. i
seemed, for bathing.
Whitaker turn TO go. and turning lie
his gaze sweep up from the beach ant
along the brow of the bluff. He paused
frowning. Some twenty feet or so dis
tant the legs of a man, trousered ant
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 Gf h
were neither dead nor sleeping) tina
he was watching the woman on tn
beach.
Indignation, righteous indignation
warmed WhitakerS bosom. 1t was al
very well for him to catch sight o
the woman through her cottage win
dow, by night, and to swim over to tn
beach in her wake the next morning
but what right had anybody else (
constitute himself her shadow? BE
sides, it was possible that the ma
was Drummond.
II. He strobe forward and stood owe
the man, looking down at his back. ]
was true, as he had assumed-the fe
low was watching the woman. An
his back was very like Drummond':
"A little CULVER of excitement mingle
with anticipative satisfaction IA
through him. Now, at last, the my:
terry was to be cleared up, hia futur