Arizona republican., 1921-10-10

story says, accounts for the beauty | of the islands.
 The region, too is claimed by some ! students of Indian lore as the scene | of the Hiawatha story, as 1t actually 1 occurred in Indian history. Hiawatha. | according to these authorities, was the Onondaga hero, Michabou, Great l Hare, whose wisdom and prowess set l him forever in Indian affairs as the 1 great leader and example.
 Today, Indian souvenirs in the | shops are the only signs left to re- mind the people who dart about the waters in motor boats of the times when Indian canoes dotted the St. Lawrence.
 A Modern Romance The romance for today is supplied by modern stories. Just across from Alexandria Bay, for instance. is Heart Island with its novel history A beautiful castle stands on this is- land, a typical millionaire's residence. But the windows are shuttered- The | doors are boarded.
 Eighteen years ago, they tell you, a millionaire planned this castle for his wife. There were so rooms and | 50 baths. and other details on the same scale. An underground pas sage to the castle from the dock was constructed for freight. Even l lltC POoCT nOhct uONli Olt tAC NdtCA . edge was built like a cluster of tow CTS. A million dollars was put into l the building, and unlimited enthu- siasm and affection. Hearts were painted into the decorations on the | ceiling and cut in the carvings of | the stone.
 But before it was finished the mis- | tress of the castle died. The mil lionaire ordered work suspended at once. Crates of furniture were left | standing unpaclSed in the rooms. l Later. visitors to the islands were | permitted by the caretakers to see the castle, but so many brought pen | knives and carved their names on the | beautiful woodwork, or otherwise de- faced the building, that it was finally l closed entirely. Now 1t is rumored I that the castle, which has never been | lived in, is to end the first. eighteen year chapter of its career. Plans are under way to convert 1t into | summer hotel.
 Heart Island. the typical deserted | castle of the fairy stories, is not the only desolate looking residence in the islands. Many of the beautiful l homes of the rich, each on it's own | island, or group of islands. are closed
 for the season. 1t is late now. but some have never been unboarded throughout the summer.
 l IS HO pldSAtu iOtc bdNh OA these boarded doors. If there is | romance there 1t Is the cold romance l of the dollar. The owners have
 other estates in Palm Beach, New
 port and some metropolis. The is-
 land is kept as a rustic retreat. to
 be used now and then, perhaps,
 when rest and quiet may be wanted. Nearly all of these are in perfect
 condition. The flower beds and
 lawns are as precisely kept as if the
 owner were there to enjoy them. The
 attractiveness of the estates is not
 wasted, however. for many visitors
 to hotels and cottages at Alexandria
 Bay and other colonies take long
 motor boat rides among the islands,
 admiring the show places.
 The islands in their original state
 are beautiful, some densely wooded.
 some rocky with pine trees among
 the rocks, others smooth and green
 In among these. on some million
 aires property, the fall flowers add a purple. Terraces are masses of
 blooms. Asters and goldenglow are skilfully set among the rocks at the
 waters edge so that they are mir D orred in the river. One of these mill
 lionaires has even his own flower
 edged canal, built at great expense.
 to form a winding waterway between the 1SldHOS OI HIS SSldSt
 Expensive Islands
 Not all of the homes, however, are
 deserted. Not all are owned by millionaires, either. There are cot tages of all sizes down to a ridicu- lously tiny green love nest which the story goes was built for two but
 three are there now"
 The islands are of all sizes. Some
 of the largest accommodate whole summer colonies. But the most pop
 ular size for summer homes are those
 that comfortably hold a single house.
 leaving enough land for yard and garden. Islands smaller than this | are not wasted, though. Houses are built on dots of land so microscopic
 that the front yard is under water. To take walk, they have to get in boat at the front door and go some
 where else.
 One of the little frame cottages
 was even built on a reconstructed is
 land. A few rocks with lone tree i stuck up above the shallow water ; and the land was filled in enough to [ make a foundation for a small house : and even few trees were planted in
 the yard.
 l Why all this work should be neces- 3 sary when there are plenty of un- tennanted islands of comfortable size lying all about is a bit obscure. Still l islands have gone up. and the two r rocks and a pine tree may have been { a bargain. Several hundred of the l islands on the American side of the river were sold years ago to a man , for $3,000 IL is a fact that Pullman, the railroad man, bought a desirable island for S25 about SO years ago. ) And it is estimated that the same island, without its handsome resi- D dence. would now bring no less than ? $25,000. AA