Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-06-29
THE RETURN or
THE MARY DENTON
By EVELYN wETwoRrH.

ABOUT the middle of the nineteenth
century. The only testimony that I
nave to personally bear In the matter
VI her last return is that was one of
those who saw her the morning sha
was observed to be making into nort
WIN all her sails set. I'm not going to
ny to explain anything either psyche.
logically or scientifically. That I shall
leave the reader to do after reading
the story.
Inc Mary Denton was named for the
niece or the owner. There were =
number of Dentons In New Bedford nj
that time, mostly sailor folks MARI
was ABOUT twenty. She was In love
with young fellow named Kendeu-
edward Kendell-a fine young fellow.
put a landsman. Kendell was as much
IN love with Mary as she was with
MIN, but he was at the beginning OF
NE and was not yet prepared TO sun
port wife. Mary had a love for the
sea, Inherited from generations OF sail
OF ancestors. Whether it was this that
induced her father to ask Captain
Denton to take her on a whaling vow
age or whether he wanted to get her
away from Denton with a view to
breaking Off the match or to mass
some OF the time that must elapse be-
Iore their marriage l don't know.
never heard that the Dentons had anv
objection to Kendell provided he could
take care Of Mary. At any rate, Mary
went with her uncle on a voyage that
was to last three years.
Edward Kendell seemed heartbroken
when he heard that he was to be sen
arated from his love for this long pe-
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 well 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 crew of un.
refined men, and a cruise would like
ly build up her physique. which was
delicate. For a little while after she
had gone he seemed stupefied, then
suddenly went to work with a WIN
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
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 IL 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 fell
low. Naturally we wondered II the
ship would come in on the appointed
day. Kendell seemed to think II
would. But l noticed one thing about
him-after a certain date he became
very Respondent. He said in explana-
ton that he had had dream or q SEN
sation, or something of the sort, that
the ship was in trouble.
l shall never forget the third ami
versary Of the sailing Of the Mary
Denton. 1t had ralned during the
night before, and the morning was
balmy, but with fog. was sitting at
my desk on the second floor by a win
dow facing the harbor when the sun
came out. l heard a cry from the
street, There she is, true enough!'
Looking / saw the fog rolling away
and ship with all her canvas set
coming in under a very light breeze.
l 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 enveloped her.
We waited to see it roll away, but
there was no break in it till sunset,
when it suddenly vanished.
But where was the Mary Denton?
We all had expected to see her riding
at anchor. There was not a sign of
her. She could not have sailed away,
for there had been no wind She could
not have sunk in the harbor
/ was 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 be had been
touched by a specter With a moan he
turned away and disappeared.
There were five of us who saw the
ship. all, as | have said, agreeing that
she was the Mary Denton. Most OF
us believed that she had for some rea-
son 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
port none of US could understand
There was no more fog that day,
and we who had seen the shlp-or the