He hurried to the boat and brought the tent. Mary carried the spade, the pole and pegs.
In half an hour the little white home was shining on the level sand at the foot of their favorite dune. The door was set toward the open sea, and the stove securely placed beneath an awning which shaded it from the sun's rays.
“Now, Kiddo, a plunge in that shining water the first thing. I'll give you the tent. I'll chuck my things out here.”
In a fever of joyous haste she threw off her clothes and donned the dainty, one-piece bathing suit. She flew over the sand and plunged into the water before Jim had finished changing to his suit.
She was swimming and diving like a duck in the lazy, beautiful waters of the Gulf when he reached the beach.
“Come on! Come on!” she shouted.
He waved his hand and finished his cigarette.
“It's glorious! It's mid-summer!” she called.
With a quick plunge he dived into the water, disappeared and stayed until she began to scan the surface uneasily. With a splash he rose by her side, lifting her screaming in his arms. Her bathing-cap was brushed off, and he seized her long hair in his mouth, turned and with swift, strong beat carried her unresisting body to the beach.
He drew her erect and looked into her smiling face.