The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1926-12-24
The Girl in the
Tree House
By RUBY DOUGLAS
uTF ANY ONE had told me II

UF ANY ONE had told me that
Ii, in my right mind, at twenty
six, would be literally tracing
girls footprints in Il tickle sandbar
well, would have told him he
was crazy" remarked CT d e
Granite.
A river ran along the back of
the garden, and every morning he
and his companion arose and
climbed down the grassy bank to
the pool that was cleared for
swimming.
One morning Claude had discov-
cred girls footprints on shift
ing, sandy edge that bordered the
river n little lower than the pool
in which they swan.
"These steps lead into the wa
ter-but where has the girl gomez"
he asked of his friend.
Don't ask me. I'm startled.
Come on" retorted the other.
The next morning ne found fresh
steps, and, as on the previous day,
no return prints.
The mystery added Zest to his
vacation, but now, after a week,
he began seriously to wonder how
the girl could disappear so early
each morning and become entirely
lost to sight. There was no evil
dence of her but those footprints
in the sand each morning.
Claude sat down on the damp
sand and studied the footprints.
Yes; Enthusiastically, they had been
made this morning. Well, he would
walt until their creator returned.
She might look like the back of a
crazy quilt, but ut least he would
see her and solve the mystery.
Somehow, he fancied she was
beautiful. He sat there In the early
morning light and began to dream
a picture of her. But-she did not
come.
The next morning Claude was
gone when his chum sought him
out to take their early dip, and,
thus left alone and being not too
enthusiastic about the chilly wa
ter, the young man dressed and
went to breakfast. He was getting
irritated at the mood of his friend.
Claude had hidden himself, almost
at dawn, behind some crimson
bushes so that he might see the
girl who made the matutinal foot
prints in the sand and entered the
water apparently not to return.
He had searched the opposite bank
for evidence of her leaving, hut
nothing but miles of barren. Stuhhy
woods stretched out across the
river. A few old trees and many
rocks bordered the bank.
His emotions were mixed when
he heard the cracking of twigS on
the hill behind him and knew that
some one approached. Clad in a
bathing suit, brown. closely cropped
hair alight in the sunlight, and car
rying a large, well-stutled rubber
bag, she made her way to the
rivers edge. Just before she
reached the smooth sand she
slipped off her sandals, tucked them
and tied them into the bag she car
RED, picked ner way deilDerately
across the yellow, impressionable
sand, climbed onto a fiat rock and
tossed the bag across the short
span of swiftly moving water to a
projecting bit of ground. Then she
slipped into the river, swan about
for few moments, clambered out
on the opposite side, picked up her
bag and disappeared among the
thick autumn leaves and rocks
Presently Claude was startled be-
yond belief to see, Il short distance
back from the edge, the girl, clad
in charming autumn red smock
and brown stockings and sandals,
climbing up an old tree.
He could barely see her move
ments. but as he twisted and turned