Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1900-02-27
The MILL MYSTERY.


they said. A plank washed ashore bore
the name Goliath, recognized by some az
a whaler which had sailed from Sag har-
Dor about three years ago.
High upon the summit of a sand dune,
her wet hair flying straight out behind
her, striving to shut out the flying sand
and spray, and to follow with her eyes
the boat as it rose and fell stood mad
Mary Heath.
She was always down there, roaming
about the sands. gathering shells or
crouching upon the dunes gazing sea-
ward Tonight she seemed the genius
Of the storm, bending, swayIng and way
ing her arms aloft as if reckoning to the
sea.
What ais poor Mary tonight? The
storm seems to affect her terribly; she
looks a veritable seeress,' said Sweyn
Yarbourne, who stood among the group
of villagers gathered upon the beach.
The mournful sound of the bell buoy
on the reef came ftfully upon the wind,
and anon, when rift in the clouds light
ed palely the writing chaos below, the
ship might be perceived on her beam ends
pounding the reef, and presently she was
seen no more. Then all at once from
out of the hell Of waters was flung high
up the beach, with a grinding crash the
great hfeboat, with its writing, wrig-
Cling crew, only less white and weak
than the poor, still figure they brought
in.
Strong hands. clutched and dragged the
boat and the falling men far up out of
reach of the batf1ed sea, As they bore
the rescued man upon plank to the boat
house a scream Of triumphant laughter
rang out over the roar of the tempest,
and Mad Mary, who had lowered
about the edge of the crowd, fitted away
over the dunes, shrieking: My dream;
my dream"
With long quivering sigh the pallid
figure lying upon the old tarpaulln at
length opened its eyes.
Matt Rominy stood over him watching
for any sign of life. and with COM
manding gesture keeping the throng back.
The eyes, III which consciousness slow
Iy daWned, wandered from point to point,
and at length rested upon the counte-
nance of the captain of the ifesayers,
there they rested. growing gradually
rOunder as a look of horror crept into
them.
At length. with a convulsive start he
stroye to rise, but too weak sank back
screaming:
Am l dead and in hell? Keep off,
keep off, waving Rominy away with
frenzied gesture.
The face Of the latter had assumed an
unaccountable pallOr, and with Il harsh.
broken laugh he snarled:
Give him turn over that keg, men,
ar git the salt water out of him.
But the fellow, struggling TO his feet
ran like the wind. straight toward the
wind, straight toward the sea.
He was soon caught, and relapslng into
Inconsistencies was carried to the cot
tage Of old Jane Chisholm, about mile
back from the beach.
Yarbourne had been silent and much
puzzled observer of all this. The storm
had apparently driven the man insane
he thought.
The rescued man tossed for a week or
two in delirium under the rafters of the
old salt box hut.
In the small hours one night Goody
Garlic who was hired to watch at his
bedside, was reused from a doze by the
voice of the sick man.
''Oh. God. the cruel millstones. he
cried, "they are grinding out blood
Lcok, Look and he would have thrown
himself from the bed had not the nurse
pinned him down with her sinewy arms.
Then she and Mother Chisholm sat with
their hooked noses very close together in
earnest conversation, each with her vel
low finger upon her skinny lip" until
dawn, engaged in the interesting occupa.,
ton of putting this and that together.
by which, says well-knOwn author you
get man and Il fish apart, OF mermaid
together"
The boats crew dropped in singly and
in pairs to see how he was getting on.
Amos COrtwright the blacksmith, Ben
Strong the carpenter. and finally Matt
Romny, the miller and captain, slouched
in. for that was his habitua gait when
not in the heat of action; sinister and
forbidding man, and it was no wonder
that the still half-daZed man was seized
again with a panic of fear and covered
his head with the bedcl0thes. Shuddering
Rominy went away. muttering under
his breath: What's the feiler got agln
me? II it warn't for me he'd be shark
meat by naow."
Yarbournc stopped in daily on his way
out the lane, where he was completing u
picture of the mill. The two beldames
told him of the singular night cry and of
the mans terror at the sight of the mil
Ter, and the big painter went away TO his
work Illuminating profoundly.
Three years before the town of East
Brompton was reused from its lethargy
by one OF those happenings which con-
trasted so sharply with its dreamy life,
as Il chasm opening III a Sunlit plain.
One morning, when the gray east was
shot with red. Mary Heath strobe into
town, wild-eyed and drenched with dew,
and raped loudly at Justice Larry OS-
bOrne's door.
There's somethin' wrong over t the
mill, she painted in answer to his gruff
query. Has anybody seen Gideon? |
ben settin' up all night watchin' for him.
He started out last night with the meal
bag and l haven't seen him once.'
Whats the matter at the mill?"
They 's-they' s''-she ciutched at the
door facing-.'blood runnin out from UNI
der the mill door, an when | looked in
the window the hopper was all splashed
with it an and she swooned ON the
doorstep.
There were nine days of wonder and
speculation and investigation. Rominy
was at clambake, he managed to
prove, and knew nothing, and Mary
Heath still watched and waited III her
hovel for the Gideon who came not, but
in his place the wolf
The village beauty, she might have
been Mrs. Rominy The dove might
have shared the goshawk's nest and beer
mistress of the mill; but she married the
man of her heart, the pennless son OF ii
once-prOsperous farmer; handsome
"ne'er do WE'LL ana their path had
proved more rugged than that Of true
love is usually said to be. Want stared
Them in the face; hunger perched vul-
ture-like over the door
One night Gideon started up, his eyes