Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-20

discovered in good condition. but de-
serted by their crews. One was found
on the open sea under sail. the other
at anchor on coast. These two are
all that thus far have been recorded.
1t remains for me to record a third.
j am gentleman of leisure given to
yachting. l am fond of cruising Oh
my yacht either with a party OF
friends or single male companion.
During the last season 1 started from
the New York Yacht clubs dock at
New York for cruise eastward along
the coast. put in at several places
on the route-Ncw London, Marble
head. Portland and other ports-for
fresh table supplies. then steamed on,
intending 10 enter the St. Lawrence
river and visit the Thousand Islands.
We met a number of yachts. for it
was in the season. and yachtsmen are
prone in hot weather to occupy the
cooler regions of the northeastern
coast. One evening while steaming
across one of those beautiful bays that
indent the rocky coast OF Maine we
saw near the shore n steam yacht rid
ing at anchor within a cables length
of the shore
Alec Wingate was with me on this
cruise. Alec was the son of a British
baronet and had domestic troubles.
He had married the daughter of q
colonel in the English army, a very
beautiful girl. who. after a couple of
years of married life during which she
and her husband had lived very hap
PLY together, suddenly disappeared.
Whether she had been kidnapped or
had gone Off with a lover no one could
tell. There was no evidence. at least
none that any one had ever got hold
of. to point in either Of these direc-
tons. The only other theory was that
she had been murdered. Wingate had
hunted for her all over the world and
had come to America for the purpose.
1 had met him and, having taken q
liking to him. begged him TO divert
his mind from his loss by going on a
cruise with me.
Our course lay near enough to the
anchored yacht to enable us to see
with glasses what she was: that is, we
could have seen any flags. people or
other distinguishing marks. But there
We're neither people nor flags. She
was a steamer yacht, but no smoke
was being emitted from her stack.
Her stern was at one time toward US,
and what was my establishment to see
no name on her.
We slowed up. expecting every min
ute to see some one appear on the
deck. but after waiting half an hour
without any one appearing it began
to look as il either a party had gone
ashore from her for some purpose or
she had been deserted. The first or
these theories was not very likely cog
rect. In the first place at least one
member of the crew would have been
left in charge, and in the second this
was a perfectly wild coast. and there
could be no object for any party to
go ashore unless for water.
/ gave orders TO steam up along
side the nameless yacht. The hour
was about in the evening. and fine
dinner was set in the cabin. A fire
was burning in the galley. Every
boat belonging to the yacht was in its
place. In the lockers in the after part
of the vessel We're articles of male and
female wearing apparel. the latter in
dicating that ladies had been aboard.
And here the mystery changes from
those sea secrets ! have mentioned. or.
rather. another mystery is added.
Alec Wingate recognized dress con-
tanned in a rosewood locker as one
that had belonged to his wife. He at
once became wild with varying emo
lions. There was pleasure at this evil
dence that his wife at least had been
recently alive. There was bitterness
lest she might have been living on this
yacht with a paramour. There was
fear lest though she had so recently
lived she had met with some mis-
fortune
To allay this excitement told Win
gate that he might easily be mistaken
in the dress. But ne said that it was
the one in which he had most liked to
see his wife arrayed and the only one
IF her wardrobe that he would surely
recognize.
We went through the yacht from
stem to stern looking for some ex-
PLANTATION of the mystery. Every state
room. every receptacle. was ransack-
ed. The firebox door stood partly
open. and 1 looked in to see il ma
terials had been put in to light new