Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-08-27
JAMES SHARK
BY MARY A. MURDOCH.

tS. 1921 BY Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)
James glance trlumphantly swept
the long stretch Of deserted beach.
Not a soul in sight For an hour at
least she might confidently expect 10
keep all this wonder to herself Glee-
fully she ylsioned the chagrin Of Tom,
not 10 mention her half-dozen other
/ satellites, when they should have dis
+ covered her to have already taken her
+ morning dip, without their ubiquitous
ministrations
Il was fise o'clock, and half an hour
before sunrise. Jane waded out to-
wards a not distant sand bar, her eyes
fixed on the eastern sky. where the
gray mist was parting to reveal hid
i den color treasure of orange and gold
She felt suddenly awed. How big ev-
erything was How tiny her hands
+ seemed. buoyed in front OF her on the
surface Of the water. At that mo-
ment she half wished for a chance TO
snub the owner of certain sreadying
+ If presumptuous arm, then shaking off
the weakness and determined TO glory
in her new found freedom. she plunged
sQuealing irrepressibly, into an on
coming wave and swan with an even,
sure stroke for the bar
Once there. she turned to glance at
the hotel, oddly somnolent in the half
light, then with a superior sniff, in
tended for its lazy inmates. she
stretched luyuriouSly on the sand and
gave herself up to the enjoyment of
+ the spectacle TO the eastward. For
full hdlf-hour she watched and mar
veIed and dreamed How trivial now
seemed yesterdays prepIexi1ies and
intrigues, Her unaccountabIy poor
showing at the tennis tournament, that
4 catac!ysmic error which had caused
her partner to view her In stunned
i surpriSe-how little such things real
/ " mauered. She remembered with a
f certain sense of shame the firtations
which had marked her stay at this
+ most popular of beach resorts. What
i poor sport it was, after all. Hence
forth she determined to repress the
eternal Eve in her and to save her
+ smiles for-him And a delightful
i speculation gripped her as to Nho-he
might be.
A cold tongue Of water Tapped her
bathing slipper and she jumped up
shiyering. The tide had risen. Jeal-
1 Gus waves were already trying 10 edge
her off her perch She fused with
her cap in preparation for the swim
back, pausing for a last look at the
King of Day, now well over the rim
of the world
For a while she stood there. a
charming figure in her modish sea
+ suit eyes agleam with Youths love
Of life, curling tendrils of gold whip
ping her creamy throat. Suddenly
she stiffened and sharp cry escaped
her
Graded between two of the larger
overlapping waves she had espied
! something sinister and white. a gleam-
ing mass that moved and glowed in
the long rays Of the morning light
/ A sort Of numbness seized her. as
through fer mind there flashed an
the stories she had heard reeounted
Of the white-belhed terror which many
of the hotel habitues were reputed
70 have glimpsed thereabouts. always
from the asylum Of a dock.
Jane viewed despairingly the fast
diminishing strip Of sand. Ten min
utes at the most, and she would have
to take her chances with the thing
in the water On the verge of faint
ing, she yet managed to find her voice.
At first thin and weak. desperation
lent it strength. a favoring breeze
aided her and the cry which reused
half a hundred sleepy vacationists
from their beds was that of tom :"
Tom heard with the rest. and not
one of the wondering watchers saw
anything grotesque in his pajama-elad
figure. as it flew TO the waters edge.
Get a boat, Tom. Jane screamed,
then toppIed and fell.
But Tom didn't 20 back. a few
minutes and ne had in his arms
strangely docile Jane. who could only
whisper family, Tom, darling Tom,
aud who chung piteously to him.
As he swan back 10 the beach, now
thTonged with half-clad people, his
precious burden held close he was
too deliriously happy to wonder why
Jane, conceded the best swimmer in
the crowd, had not dared negotiate
tile short distance. Time enough for
explanations lager-for the present
life was very sweet, with that soft
Tom darling Tom I'm his ears
Through a haze of JOY. he was con
scious that one of his vigorous strokes
brushed away something which felt
like seaweed, but which was apparent
Il white satin peJticoat, and he won
dered from whose clothesline it was