Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-11-08

no AFFAIR OF hls-W hitNker admitted
ms much freely. And yet he was he
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.
Grnnlng with amused federation OF
his own pcrverSc sophistry, he turned
over on his side q struck ont in tn,
wake OF the motor boat. When At
length he wnded ashore he found tn,
motor boat moored in shallow water
dock. He patted the flanks of the yes.
sci as he wadcd on.
Good little boat" said he.
Walking rapidly, very soon he stood
at the head of q rude flight of wooden
steps which ran down from the top of
wave-oatcn sand blum, 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
hhd followed. (Thcre wasn't any use
mincing terms-he had followed her
In his confoundeh, fatuous curiosity y
Her face was to the sea. her hands
clnspcd behind her. Now the wind
modelled her cloak sweetly to her body,
now whipped Its skirts away. disclos-
Ing legs strnight and slender and grn-
ciously modelled. She was dressed. it
seemed. for bathing
Whitaker turn to go. and turning let
his gaze sweep up from the beach and
along the brow of the bluff He paused,
frowning. Some twenty feet or 50 dis
tant the legs of man. trouSered and
booted, protruded from hollow be-
tween two hummocks of sand. And
the toes of the boots We're digging into
the sand indicating that the man was
lying prone; and that meant Of he
were neither dead nor slceping) 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? Be-
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 assumcd-the fell
low was watching the woman. And
his back was very like Drummond's,
A little<quiver of Excitement mingled
with anticipative satisfaction ran
through him. Now, at last, the nys-
terry was to be cleared up his future
relations with the nscudo-suicide de-
fined and established.
Deliberately he extended his bare
foot and nudged the mans ribs.
'Drummond - he said in a
clear voice decided but unaggresSive.
With IN oath and what seemed a
single, quick motion, the man jumped
to his feet and turned tn Whitaker a
startled and lnhamed countenance.
what the devil :" he cried angrily
''Who are you? What do you want?
What d'you mean by coming round
here and calling me DrummondI"
He was no more Drummond than he
was Whitaker himself.
"For that matter" something
clicked in Whilaker's brain and sub
consciously he knew tina, his temper
was about to take the bridge--"whut
do you mean by spying ON that lady
yondcr"
1t being indisputably none of his
concern, the unrairness OF the question
only lent II offensive force The man
made this painfully clear through the
medium Of m lntolerabie cuithet and