The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-03-30
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An EARLY Romance Of
CascO Bay.
CHAPTER I.
Cruise Of the Pumpkin seed--How
George CIeeves r urchased n Sonia
Law.
BY ADAM NEwBEGIN.

One of my friends has a boat which he
calls the pumpkin Seed" from its shape,
which, while it affords strong assurance of
safety from upsetting, somewhat impairs its
speed and makes it an unpleasant loiterer
when caught in calm with wind and tide
against it. when the skipper sees this state
ment he will perambulate the town averring
that his boat will sail faster in gale or calm
than any yacht which frequents these waters,
but, on this point, the defendant joins issue
and places himself upon his country. But
my friend is quite devoted to sailing and
heedlessly Indifferent to little difficulties Of
that kind. One afternoon he came after
me to 60 down the harbor with him, promis
ing to return me in time for early tea. We
ran down the main channel with good
breeze, and in due time sailed back towards
the town, but the breeze died away and sum
set found us at the breakvater with the sail
Tapping loosely and four-knot tide running
out. Catching what few puffs of wind were
vouchsafed us, we struck for the Grand
Trunk wharves and brought up off the Vic
toria piers. Our next tack brought US back
again to the breakwater, and second time
we reached the Victoria wharves, and so con-
tinued until it seemed as if the Pumpkin
Seed was, like Flying Dutch man, con-
demned forever to sail round and round that
buoy on the middle ground and never to
make port. The wooden seats began to
grow harder and harder, and the stars came
out. called the shippers attention to the
fact that Richard A. Proctor had recently
announced that the upper pointer of the
Dipper would, in one hundred thousand
years be two feet farther to the right than
now, at which time, ventured to mildly
hope we might have arrived home to supper,
but he only whistled softly,
s'we'n all feel gay
When Johnny comes marching home"
and said nothing. Filling my pipe re-
signed myself to meditation. The evening
shadows helped the illusion, aud imagined
myself sailing in the harbor two hundred and
forty years ago. The houses on Munjoy
changed to heavy trees, the wharf lines van
ished, and the Fore river flowed in original
freedom between wooded banks. Before US
lay crescent beach on which the waves
rippled in the moonlight, while little back
from the shore, on the higher ground, stood
q rude log hut which recognized intuitively
as that built by Cleeves and Tucker in 1882.
500 you believe Hail." .quoth to the skip
per, shat Michael Milton was sailing round
the buoy on the middle ground when he
chopped off the merman's hand ?" The
skipper replied that "not having the honor
of personal acquaintance with Mr.. Milton,
and disremembering the circumstances he
really IeIJ uuwr,,,I.o -~---r----=,-l. I,;rn
and that he also had serious doubts that he
or any other man ever saw norman IN
this harbor."
ssThat is fiat burglary" replied. "Mr.
Milton was gentleman in days when the
name gentleman meant something, the only
man in these parts who was qualified to
write that title after his name. The honest
yeoman who lived up yonder above the
beach, had one fair daughter, and like many
laboring man of our day, his chief anxiety
in life was to buy son-in-law, on whom he
could bestow his substance, so when he went
S~SN w &Nh6A0A0 IA 4Vot W UlluR ONCI LIS
wife, and daughter Elizabeth, and found that
worthy cavalier counting his daughter and
waiting to be supported, he joyfully accepted
the honor, had them married and brought
them to their new home. This was ten
years before the fatal battle of Naseby, at
which the unfortunate Charles I lost his
crown, but already the people of England
were beginning to groan under the intoler-
able burden OF supporting the great host of
noble gentlemen who were too nice to work
and too prudent to 60 abroad and fight. If he
had remained in England, probably he would
have Joined King Charles forces, and, after
moderate amount of fighting, have found
modest sustenance abroad, by hanging at the
skirts of the exiled royal family. We know
that he was considered gentleman in Casco
Bay, for honest John Jocelyn says: 'sThe
gentleman was great fowler, and used to 60
out with small boat or canoe, and fetching
compass about small island, there being
many islands in the bay, for the advantage
OF shot, he encountered with triton or
mereman, who laying his hands upon the
sAAS VI WAN @@hoS, LOU OuO VI LuCm CuOpU Ou
with Ratchet by Mr.. Milton, which was in
all respects like hand of man; the triton
presently sunk, dyeing the water with his
purple blood, and was no more SEEM" This
was in 1880, and the gentlemanly son-in-law
was probably still living in the Lighthouse at
Machigonne Point, cunning and fishing
among the islands, while the sturdy old man
titled his cornfeld, traded with the Indians
for beaver skins, and sold his lands to new
settlers, not forgetting to grant liberal por-
tions to his handsome son. In 1910 the
young couple went to housekeeping, the old
man having given them one hundred acres Of
land and built them house up yonder on
Clarke's Point where the gas works are
now.
About this time one Richard Martin of
Plymouth, in England, a merchant, whose
father had been mayor of that city, finding
his fortunes decayed and business becoming
duller and duller on account of the desolating
civil war, determined to seek his fortunes in
the new world, and so brought his two moth
erless daughters, Mary and Lydia, to Casco,
where he settled. In 1916 he was obliged to
return to England, and looking about for
the proper person to whom to trust his girls
he pitched upon gentleman Michael. Doubt
less it was the finest house in Casco, for Geo.
Cleeves would have scorned to build mean
one for his son-in law, and by this time Sir
Fernando Georges had established saw mills,
and it is likely that it was built with sawn
timber and boards, and had various luxuries
Of furniture and decoration such as could be
procured oversee, which others lacked. We
know, too, that Elizabeth Cleeves was lady,
for we read it plainly in The history of her
five undetermined daughters.
And so Richard Martin, merchant, sailed
for old England, and the fair May came
to live at Clarke's point, with the handsome
gentleman and his lady wife.
May Martin was high-spirited, bright,
graceful girl with rich, dark complexion,
flashing eyes and black ringlets who had won
the heart of Robert Corbin, the gallant young