The Press., 1912-07-17
An Island
 Bride How | Made a Match on
 Halloween By Mrs. SARAH B. ROBERTS Copyright by American Press Asso-
 citation. 1911.
Copyright by American Press Asso.
 citation, 1911.

side of the island, and on that side the
 Atlantic's waves are unbroken by any
 land or shoals, so that they come
 singing in upon the rocks. Surround
 ing the house, except on the sea side,
 are fir trees, whose OdOr hangs pleas
 antly upon the air, especially pure in
 that region. The people who live on
 Bailey's and on Orr's island. being
 next north of Bailey's, are mostly fish
 CT folk, though some of them do lit
 tie farming in vegetables and milk.
 The several summers during my oc-
 cupancy of my cottage a girl about
 seventeen years old-Myra Crofts was
 her name-brought me milk. She
 drove about among her customers in little blackboard wagon drawn by a
 small horse, so used to his mistress
 stops that he would stand quietly
 wherever he was placed. Myra was a study for an artist. Her clothes wera
 of the poorest, but her face was
 comedy and her figure fit for a model
 for a statue. l did my own house
 work and used to receive the girl at the kitchen door, and since I liked her would always speak a pleasant
 word. One day I said to her:
 "Myra, 1t seems to me that it is
 nearly time you were getting a hus- l band" l "Oh. dear, mo-" she replied, showing by toss of her head that the subject deeply interested her. There's no one on the island who wants me, and l ! 1NHP 10 mer visitors. the young men are all too much taken up with the visiting girls to notice one who peddles milk" I had my eye on a young fisher man, to whom l had taken as much fancy as l had for Myra. During the l months of July and August he gave | his attention to the summer visitors, taking them out in his mOtorbOat, but after they had gone he would re- turn to his fishing. l went out with him frequently and had every conf are numerous lodges in Casco bay. and Ned Ballard could sail among them almost with his eyes shut. l was once with him in fog some seven or eight miles out to the eastward, numerous islands and reefs interven- ing between us and home. Ballard brought me into port safely, never ly- ing to for a moment. and when we landed l said to him:
 "How in the world did you do it?"
 "Oh. to me-" he replied. tits like your walking about in your own house in the dark. l notice the flow of the tide by the direction of the buoys. oc- casionally get a glimpse of a lock, a bit of shore. a point, which confirms me in my opinion as to where am.'
 This was all unintelligable to me, for had during the whole period seen nothing but that driving fog so com mon on that coast
 It occurred to me that Ned Ballard and Myra Crofts would make good match, Ned brawny and strong, Myra fine specimen of a country girl. So interested was 1 in bringing the two together by plan l conceived that when the season ended and the other summer residents and visitors departed l stayed on. For few days after the hegira from country to city l felt lonely at the changed appearance the region took on. but as soon as l be- came accustomed to the new regime felt more pleasure in my surround ings than ever. There was above me the great blue dome of the heavens, about me the waters of the bay, and l breathed in as pure air as it is pos sible to find on the globe.
 To carry out my scheme for bringing my two favorites together I was obliged to stay till after Halloween, for on that day 1t was to be put in practice. My sailing days were not so frequent now since Ned Ballard was engaged with his fishing. His work was in the night, and he slept by day. He fished principally for mackerel, spreading his nets at set of sun and taking them up at its rising, and when lucky would find them we'll filled with fish. which he sold at a handsome price. He told me that in one haul he once took in 1900 pounds.
 Moonlight nights were his favorite time to fish. There was sufficient light by which to work. but not enough for the fish down in the water to see the nets in which their fins were caught. 1 have myself seen him out between my cottage and Ragged island-sO called from its ragged shore and when his boat would lie in the moons simmer I could almost recog- niZe the silhouette of his figure.
 That year Halloween came at the 1 full of the moon. l had thought of inviting Ned and Myra to my cottage unknown to each other and contriv- | ing to have them see each others re- fection in mirrors. but Ned was hnv- ing such luck with his fishing and the | light of the moon was so valuable to | him that could not prevail upon him to give me even one night. So was obliged to invent another plan.
 Ned knew very little about Hal. | 'Oween. He had heard of it. but did | not know that on that evening girls | were liable to get a vision of the man | they would marry. There was no superstition about him, and I knew it | would be impossible for me t" :Dd10e | him to ask Myra tS Le his wife 1 through childlike faith in an appari- | siOn. But we women are made of diff | ferent stuff from men, and l could rely | on Myra to believe in anything that | had the appearance of being super natural, especially if it pointed to a mate. A few days before Hallow cen, when she came to deliver milk to | me, said to her:
 "Myra, are you going to try to get glimpse of your future husband on HaIIoweenY'
 Il haven't thought of doing SOL she replied consciously. You don't believe in that. do you?''
 Why not? There are lots of queer things in the world. Is it any more. wonderful that girl should see the man she will marry than that mes sages may be sent through the air without even a wire to conduct them?'
 "I never thought of thaf''