The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-02-23

UAutslT. Wsto lACTc spCuuiIls llo ASatSd tSi Ii
with his family. Newspaper correspondents
by the score. wire-pullers. demagogues,
stump speakers, ofice-seekers, together
with thousands of society people and tour
lists, literally poured into the town and filed
every available hotel, cottage and boarding
house. So-called breakfasts dinners, teas,
luncheons, picnics, balls, parties. receptions,
tennis and athletic tournaments. and what
not, were the order of the day and occupied
each moment, from morn till night.
Every body lived in a tremendous rush OF
excitement and, although few persons re-
tired before the morning hours, no one
seemed to grow weary OF this continuous
whirl Of gayety.
Hundreds of beautiful women set the
place by the ears. and scores of bellies were
always surrounded by crowds Of admirers.
Thus, when September arrived and the
giddy throng departed, the universal YER
dict was
.sThe gayest season on recordr'
Those who remained paused in their head
long career. drew breath and pulled them
selves together to enjoy few weeks Of the
autulnns calm and gather strength for
winters dissipation.
Just as quiet was beginning to reign,
popular excitement was again aroused and
popular curiosity ran wild over the sudden
and mysterious appearance of young girl
whose beauty was OF the most brilliant type,
infinitely surprising that of even the love-
lest belle of the summer. ,ha oues-
Wao, is shs aPa iBSf ff hoi soul had seen
her arrive, or even could tell where she
was staying. She always appeared on
horseback, accompanied by IA groom, and
dashed down the roads utterly oblivious of
the open glanccs and loudly-uticred words
Of admiration that assailcd her ON every
side
Like meteor she broke upon the sight,
and. like "a meteor. disappeared from view
Nor was the public enabled to learn any
more about her, when it found that she was
at "Eld-Flelds.' Mr.. Porters handsome
country-seat which had been closed for the
two previous years, during the owners alb
senee abroad. She absolutely refused to
receive callers and spoke to no one.
The servants around the place either
knew nothing whatever with regard to
her, or else refused to diyulge what they
did know They were unable to tell how
she came to Ed Field's-"ail we know is,
when we walked up one morning, there she
was, horse and all, just as If she'd been here
all her life!f' They knew not when, or
they called her .'Madamoiselle'') nor, in
fact, any thing at all about her.
Mr.. Bee, whose establishment was head
quarters for all sorts Of articles and infor-
nation, declared that she was the largest
and best-paying customer he ever had,
which was saying a great deal. Mr. Moses,
the florist, had no reason for closing his
conservatory as long as she remained at
Bar Harbor. The most costly and elegant
flowers were sent down to Eld-Fields at
least twice day. From all sides came
such expressions as the following:
'.Shc is very rich. Who is she.'
The invariablc answer was: Il don't know
She's MYSTERY
Forthwith she was dubbed The Mystery of
Bar Har5or.
Had her astounding history been known.
Bar Harbor would scarcely have been large
enough to contain its excited citizens. and
the reporters who would have rushed
thither from all parts of he country.
Ionce made most solemn promise never
to tell this tale To any mortal being.
But something has only lately happened
which is quite as extraordinary as any thing
related in these chapters something too,
which proves the truth of the old saving
that nothing is probable but the highly i'm
probable. And this event, think so. too.
will you, il YOU ever hear il - releases me
from my promise. And now feel at liberty
to tell the public a story whose incidents
actually occurred only very short time
ago i'll this prosaic matter-of-fact, nine
tcenth century of ours; and, yet, smack
more of romance and presumptuous improb-
ability than do most recorded adventures of
the knight-errants in the middle ages.
Let me begin:
A young man was walking along a quiet,
country road, his head bent down in deep
thought.
Judging from the detected look upon his
countenance and the occasional profound
sigh that he uttered, the subject of his
meditation did not seem to be agreeable to
him. In his hand he held switch and, in
half-hearted, listless way, unconsciously
struck at the stones lying in his path: or
knocked off the heads of flowers growing
by the roadside.
Ever and anon, the innate audacity of the
man, his defiant yet careless nature, seemed
TO rise superior to the gloom occasioned by
his sad reflections. Giving some object an
energetic, almost vicious, cut with his
switch, he would proudly toss back his head
and assume half deyii-may-care manner;
sing. or whist some jolly air: quicken his
pace aud appear to force himself to All inter-
est in the charming landscape around him.
But, apparently, the same unpleasant
thoughts returned once more: a look Of
despalring submission overspread his usu-
ally cheerful face, and, with IA weary sigh,
he again resumed his slower pace and de-
iected air.
1t may have been because Of the glare Of
the sunlight, reflected from the brook that,
just here, crossed the highway and, on the
right hand, broadencd out into wide, rath
CT shallow pool; it may have been that, at
this particular moment, he had resolved to
make another effort to cast of the gloom
which overshadowed him; but, as he turned
u curve In the road, he suddenly raised his