A Lake Mystery

fsunaay morning two larniers ana tneir families, who were driving to Malden to atteud churoh, notioed, when about cight miles beiow, or east of the town, a ship's yawl on the lake, heading toward the beach and about half a tnila away. They could plainly make out a man in the stern sheets steering the boat with au oar, and, although there were no vessels in sight, the morning was so pleasant and the sea so srnooth that it was supposad that the man had put out from shore to piek up something, and but little attention was paid to the vawl. Passing the same spot on their return the men found the yawl hard on the beach and the man sitting stiff and motionless in her stern. Lea7ing their wagons they discovered that the man was lifeless and frozen as hard as a rock. He sat bolt upnght on the seat, the oar out behind and b.ith hands clasping the handle, and it required hard work to wreneh it from his duathgrip. There was about a toot of water in the boat, but the oraft did not show roueh usage. The man 's legs wert' almost covered with ice as far up as his knees, and the spray had dashed over his back and shoulders and frozen theie. Ttu're was no Dame on the boat, and the person who brought the information to Wmdsor yesterday could uot say thit anytbing was found on the person of the man to reveal his indentity, nor to show how he had been cast adrift. It is not believed that he put off from any vessol, but it is the theory of some of the marine men that he was driven from some ot' the iglands or fioiu some port down the shore. No one could say how long he had boen afloat or when death overtook him, bul he must have ben dead at least days or more. There was neilhersail nor nast to the boat, and nothiag in it but_ the oiiB oar, showing that the poor tellow had not intüiided a long trip anywhere. and that he muit have been llown off the sliore. Ho had used his oar to keep hofore the vind, and lud frezen to dn'ith on ' his seat, where he was so fivmly held hy the icc thiit it had to be broken with h stone bet'ore he could be pulled off. Foi days, and perhaps for a fortuieht, thf frozen man sat there with his icy finijers olingina; to the ashen o.ir, and the gales and the wives spared hiru to reacli the beach and receive Ghristian barial, whiie a score of hardy inen who maniied etaunoh propeller 8aw her go down to a grtve in the deep waters and followed at'ter. Truly, the great lakes have their ïuysteries as well as the broad ocean.