The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-01-12
CHAPTER <.
-11-
The Spy,

Already the sun was warm, the faiDG
oreeze 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 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, floated serenely, SUM-
light warming his upturned face, his
body rejoicing in the suave, clean, fluid
embrace.
Then something disturbed him-a
dull fluttering, vibrant upon his SUBJ
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 its pro-
peller had aroused him. He could sec
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 its shining crown, her
shoulders cloaked with d light wrap
gathered at the throat.
Whitaker, admiring, wondered . g..
Sweeping in a wide arc as it gath
cred speed. the boat presently shot out
Smartly on 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 liberation of
his own perverse sophistry, he turned
over on his side and struck out in the
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 flanks of the ves-
sci as he waded on.
"Good little boat" said he
Walking rapidly, very soon he stood
at the head of Il rude flight of wooden
steps which ran down from the top of
a wave-eaten sand bluff, some ten or
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
ullhGLlS lCl IIlu IOIlO" Gu liCl
in his confounded. fatuous curiosity y
Her face was to the sea, her hands
clasped behind her. Now the wind
modelled her cloak sweetIy to her body,
now whipped its skirts away, disclos-
ing legs straight and slender and gra-
seemed, for bathing.
Whitaker turn to so, and turning LET
his gaze sweep up from the beach and
along the brow of the bluff. He paused.
frowning. Some twenty feet or so dis
tant the legs of a man, trousered and
booted. protruded from hollow be-
tween two hummocks of sand. And
the toes of the boots were digging into
the sand, indicating that the man was
lying prone; and that meant Gf he
were neither dead nor sleeping) that
he was watching the woman on the
beach.
Indignation, righteous indignation,
warmed Whitaker's bosom. 1t was all
very well for him to catch sight of
the woman through her cottage win
dow, by night, and to swim over to the
beach in her wake the next morning
but what right had anybody else to
constitute himself her shadow? Re
sides, it was possible that the man
was Drummond.
He strobe forward and stood over
the man, looking down at his back. 1t
was true. as he had assumed-the fel-
low was watching the woman. And
his back was very like DrummOnds.
4 little quiver of excitement mingled
with anticipative satisfaction ran
through him. Now, at last. the mys-
terry was To be cleared mp, his future