The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-09-19
THE MARK ISLAND MYSTERY
WEEKLY SHORT STORY.

There Is no more attractive region
on the Atlantic coast for summer out
ings than Casco bay, Maine, and tn
many islands 1t contains. There the no
waves Of July and August are dissi
pated. It Is seldom that there Is no
a breeze there.
In winter the inhabitants Of the is
lands fish. mostly with huge nets. II
summer those owning boats turn al
honest penny by taking visitors GU
upon the glorious waters. At almos
any time one may see the sail Of {
pleasure boat bending to the breeze
and the engines Of motorboats are al
ways throbbing like a rapid drumbeat
Not far from Orr's island, where
Harriet Beecher Stowe laid the scene
Of one Of her stories, and to the east.
ward Is Mark island. It contains pos
sibly half dozen acres and is densely
wooded. 1t stands alone, there being
no other land within several miles Of
1t. Its shores are rocky and the waves
curling up on them even in fair wea-
Their warn shippers to keep off, while
during storms they send watery plumes
high into the air.
During the last decade of the nine
teenth century Mark island was pur-
chased by man living in Portland
some dozen miles distant, who made q
summer residence of it. In the early
summer he would go there In his yacht
and remain during July and August
and when the hegira of summer board
ers to the city came around, the first of
September, he would lock, bar and bolt
his house and sail away by the same
conveyance.
Who was the owner of Mark island
the people living on the neighboring
land did not know. Orrs and Baileys
islands, well stocked with summer cot
tagers and boarders, lie to the west
ward, while Sebasco is not far to the
eastward. No one at any of these
places ever made the acquaintance of
the owner of Mark island. He neither
visited any other locality nor invited
his neighbors to visit him. Indeed, no
boat was allowed to make landing
upon his shores. Several persons at
different times approached with the
view Of going ashore but they were al
ways warned Off
The denizens of Mark island, SD far
as those who were used to sailing by
1T noticed, were two white men and
colored man who acted as a servant.
Besides, there was white woman who
was occasionally seen sitting in Il leafy
bower above a rock against which the
waters swished. Sometimes she would
would look up at those aboard. But
usually she sat idly gazing upon the
beautiful bay and the islands lying
TRANQUILITY upon its bosom. Yet, whc-
Their reading or dreaming, there was
always sad look upon her face !
No one could be better situated to |
keep secret than on Mark island for
The reason that there was no liability
% suspicion Of having secret to keep
The only neighbors are those passing
n boats. Each island in Casco bay is
| locality Of itself. Within sight of
Drr's and Bailey's islands are number
If these small GASES Of the waters, on
some of which are one or more houses
While others have no occupants what
'ver. Some are wooded, some barren
'ocks. Few persons know to whom
hey belong and no one cares. Some
re occupied by the same persons year
Ifter year, some change hands often,
While the barren rocks are always des-
late.
The only excitant of curiosity at
lark island was the desolate lady.
lad she been constantly in sight of
he same persons some Of them would
have been sufficiently cur
Gus to make an attempt to discover
he cause of her sorrow. But the
achts and the other different kind of
oats that sailed by never contained
he same persons, and the vision they
aw lasted but few moments.
For several years Mark island was
coupled by the same persons. The
isolate lady sat in her bower, and
anding there was prohibited. Posi-
~ the secret attached to 1t might
ave been kept forever had it not been
Or a mistake of Judgment made by one
its denizens.
The northeast Atlantic coast is sub
sct to fogs. One summer a low, al
lost invisible line appeared on the !
ORION from Mark island 1t broad 4
ned until it became a bank of fog
hich spread itself over the whole
nv. We all know what fog is to
lose who traverse the waters, both
lips out at sea and small boats near
he land. 1t happened that a boat
ad of pleasure seekers from Bailey's
land were caught out in this fog. For
,urs they drifted, not knowing whe-
er they We're going out to sea or to-
ard the land. The bay is full Of :.