Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-09-03
THE RETURN OF
THE MARY DENTON
BY EVELYN WENTWORTH.

|
about the middle of the nineteenth
century. The only testimony that !
have to personally bear in the matter
of her last return is that l was one of
those who saw her the morning she
| was observed to be making into port
| with all her sails set. I'm not going to
try to explain anything either psyche
| logically or scientifically. That | shall
| leave the reader to do after reading
the story.
The Mary Denton was named for the
niece of the owner. There were Il
number Of Dentons in New Bedford at
that time, mostly sailor folks Mary
was about twenty. She was in love
with a young fellow named Kendell-
Edward Kendell-a fine young fellow,
but landsman. Kendell was as much
him, but he was at the beginning of
life and was not yet prepared to sup
port wife. Mary had love for the
sea, inherited from generations of sail
or ancestors. Whether it was this that
induced her father to ask Captain
Denton to take her on a whaling voy-
age or whether he wanted to get her
away from Denton with view to
breaking off the match or to pass
some of the time that must elapse be-
fore their marriage l don't know.
never heard that the Dentons had any
objection to Kendell provided he could
take care Of Mary. At any rate, Mary
went with her uncle on voyage that
was to last three years.
Edward Kendell seemed heartbroken
when he heard that he was to be sep
arated from his love for this long pc
riod. Mary would have been delighted
to go had it not been for leaving a lover
behind. AS it was, she was equally
cast down. She cheered her lover with
the hope that by the time of her re-
turn he would be doing we'll in bust
ness and they could be married.
Whoever conceived this plan Of sep
arating them seems to me to have act
ed with as much foresight as human
beings are given. The lover knew that
he was in no especial danger Of losing
his love while shut up on vessel with
only her old uncle and a crew Of IN
refined men, and a cruise would like
ly build up her physique, which was
delicate. For little while after she
had gone he seemed stupefed, then
suddenly went to york with a will
that was bound to produce results.
New Bedford, being then the center for
the whaling industry, was a lively
place, and Kendell was employed with
q mercantile house trading In the OIL
Every year he was advanced both as to
position and salary. When the time
for the return of the vessel had come
he had become one Of the first young
business men Of the place.
Captain Denton had told Kendell
that he would bring his girl back to
him on the third anniversary Of her
departure, and some said that If he
were ahead OF time on nearing port he
would slow down and If behind would
hurry. But as he was dependent on
| the winds this was doubtless said to
encourage the downhearted young fel-
low. Naturally we wondered II the
ship would come in on the appointed
day. Kendell seemed to think il
would. But 1 noticed one thing about
him-after certain date he became
very Respondent. He said in explana-
ton that he had had a dream or sen
sation, or, something Of the sort, that
the ship was in trouble.
I shall never forget the third ami
versary Of the sailing OF the Mary
! Denton. It had rained during the
night before, and the morning was
balmy, but with fog. I was sitting at
my desk on the second floor by q win
dow facing the harbor when the sun
came out. I heard q cry from the
4 street, There she is, true enoughp
Looking, I saw the fog rolling away
and a ship with all her canvas set
coming in under very light breeze.
| ran downstairs and into the street,
to find several people looking at the
coming ship. We all agreed she was
the Mary Denton. While we looked
another bank OF fog envelcped her.
We waited to see it roll away, but
there was no break In 1t till gunset,
when 1t suddenly vanished. n
But where was the Mary Denton?
We all had expected to see her riding
at anchor. There was not sign OF
her. She could not have sailed away,
for there had been no wind. She could
not have sunk In the harbor.
WIS standing beside Edward Ken
dell when the fog lifted. The moment
saw the ship was not there, looked
at him. An ashen gray slowly spread
itself over his face, as II he had been
touched by q specter With moan he
turned away and disap peared.
There were five Of us who saw the
chip, all, as I have said agreeing that
she WAS the Mary Denton. Most 81
us believed that she had for some rea-
lson and IN some unexplained way
stopped In the fog and probably drift
ed out to sea. But why she should not
have cast anchor in plain view of her
mort faoyln nf yIc s,ny, Ia y,y,S3 nr,fo ~