Oxford Democrat., 1913-09-09
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The MacTavish:
Mystery
It Occurred on Long Island
In Colony Days.

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+ In Colony Days. +
T By F. A. mitchell !
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In the olden time when New York
was called New Amsterdam. when the
rotund Dutchmen Of Manhattan, In
creasing and multiplying. were spread
ing eastward on Long Island. meeting
the lean Yankee, also increasing and
multiplying. from Connecticut, there
lived on that coast family named
MacTavish. but recently arrived from
bonny Scotland. Long Island In those
days was not crowded with settlers,
and the Indians were getting scarce.
The MacTavish family lived lonely
life. their home being built on rising
ground overlooking the ocean. All day
long they listened to the waves rolling
In on the sand und watched the gulls
lowering over the water, every now
and again descending to pounce upon
some luckless fish. Farther out on the
horizon at rare intervals sail would
appear and while passing served to
lessen somewhat the loneliness. for.
though they could see only spot of
white canvas. they knew that there
were living human beings there.
MacTavish was both farmer and fish
erman. giving his personal attention to
the latter, while his wife and his eldest
son, Alex, attended to the former. The
bulk of the product both Of the farm
and the nets was consumed by the
family. but MacTavish would occasion
ally In summer sail to New Amster-
dam with a load of vegetables and
when the weather was cold enough to
transport fish would carry his hauls to
the same market
One autumn he bade goodby to his
wife and children, intending to take a
cargo Of potatoes and other vegetables
to Manhattan. They watched him sail
out of the inlet where he kept his boat
and, riding the waves. grow less and
less In the distance till at last they
could see him no longer. Then Dame
MacTavish gathered her children about
her In the house, as she always did
when her husband went on his trips,
to keep off the loneliness that persisted
In stalking in US he sailed away.
MacTavish was usually absent
week. sometimes more. sometimes less
A week passed. and his family began
to look for his return. One. two, three
days more elapsed. and they saw moth
ing of him. When two weeks had gone
by and he did not appear his wife be-
gan to worry, for he had told her to
look for him In from week to ten
days. Still another week slipped by
and no sign Of the father Of the fam
lily.
Mrs. MacTavish. now thoroughly
alarmed, determined to so to New Am
sterdam to learn II her husband had
been there. Her only route was by
land, and in those days there was no
public conveyance. So the family
horse was saddled. saddlebags were
put on him. containing. besides CLOTH
ing, a stock Of provisions. and leaving
Alex. a boy of sixteen. in charge of the
other children. she sailed forth on her
quest
Having reached the bank Of the East
river leaving her horse, she was fer
ried across and proceeded to the house
of Dietrich Van Worst. who she knew
was accustomed to buy her husbands
produce. There she met with n shock.
Van Worst told her that he had seen
nothing of her husband. Had MacTav-
ish been there Van Worst would un-
doubtedly have seen him. for the town
was then q mere cluster OF houses
gathered about the Battery.
Mrs. MacTavish, though without
hope of receiving different answer.
asked others the same question. No
one had seen MacTavish What had
become Of him? The weather had been
fair at New Amsterdam and at the
MacTayish home. There could have
been no storm to swamp the little boat.
nor had there been any fog. The disap-
pearance Of the husband and father
was a mystery.
There was nothing for the poor wom-
an to do but 90 back to her home and
wait She started, hoping that she
might find her husband there on her
arrival. She was disappointed. He had
neither come nor sent any word.
Every day that passed added to the
discouragement Of the mother and her
children. One day. month after
MacTavisb had sailed away. a neigh
Dor living some ten miles eastward
Of the MacTavishes went to New AM
sterdam. Hearing that he was going.
,he sent to him requesting him to make
Inquiries In the town with view OF
getting news Of her husband. The
traveller returned and said that Brit
lsh ship had arrived and reported hav'
Ing seen Off Sandy Hook deserted
fishing smack, with nothing whatever
In her except few scattered potatoes
and onions. She was not considered
worth bringing in and left where she
was. When last seen she was drift
Ing southwark along the New Jersey
coast
1t was believed that this was Mac
Tavish's boat II 80 he must be alive.
sut why had he deserted her? What
had be done with his stock OF vege-
tnbles3 And why had he not returned
to his home! In these days mems dis
appearances are usually attributed to
woman's influence. and the missing
mans accounts are investigated. But
at that time the women were all mar
ried and settled in their homes when
very young. and their time was all
spent in taking care o' their nrnerous
progeny. As to funds, MacTavfsh had
only what his cargo Of vegetables
would bring, q matter Of about $40
In the currency Of the present day.
Moreover. Mrs. MacTavish was as sure
bf her husbands affection for her and
his children as she was of the rising
and the falling Of the tide. After the
finding Of the fishing smack she be-
lieved that he was alive. What was
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