A Visit To Mackinac

We took a flying visit to Mackinac Island laat week whioh was tboroughly enjoyed. Arriving in Detroit Monday eyening, we boarded the handsome palace steamer, " City of Alpena." This steamer ia one ot the i'mcst whioh plies the great lakea, whose orew is composed of men thoroughly competent and who look after the oomfort of their passenge. The socommodations are most exoellent and the meals are equal to tlioso found at tke best hotels in the country, and to whioh you are waited upon by a corps of well-trained and efficiënt waiters. As we reaobed the Island in the early inorning we found but few people stirring, and we were told that owing to the oool summer all over the country, the season had been poor but they looked for ward to the international regatta which is held there this week to help fill the depleted excliequers. As we had visited the Tarious spots of interest on the Islund many times and had but a few honre to stop we first went to the fort to climb to the bigbeet point and enjoy the beautif ui view and the delightful morning air. From there we were driven to Plank's Qrand hotel whioh is located in a very pioturesque epot, where, from a piazza the length of the hotel - 100 feet or more, and 30 feet wide, you can look for miles over the beautiful waters of the straits and watoh the ineoming and the outgoing steamers, of which there are a great number. We were told there were about 700 guests at this hotel who enjoy thcmselves in various ways. Hops are given tbree times a week whon the ladies appear in full dress. Whole families are there for the summcr, and the numerous little ones seen, happy and healthy in that glorióos air was a pleasant sight. Begretf ully we left the beautiful Island and hied ourselves to the landing where the stately steamer awaited us, and soon the white walls of the fort and the quaint little Island of Mackinac were left far behind. We forgot to mention that one of the institutions of the Island is A. Fisk Starr's big barn. Mr. Starr is a resident of Wellington, Ohio, but for the past sis years he has carried on tbe largest livery business on the Island, coming up in June and returning in October. At present he has tweuty-five men in his employ, most of them students in the school at Mr. Starr's home, who go there during vacation, combining business witb pleasure. These young men room in pleasant cbambers in the second story of the barn, and board with Mr. Starr at his handsome cottage, the Belvedere, which commands one of the fi nest views of the straits found on the Island, Cheboygan, 18 miles away being plainly visible. Every evening these young men are givan an hour's lesson in Mackinac history and tradition. From an accurate register it appears that during the six years, Mr. Starr's conveyanoes have taken twenty-siz thousand people around the Island. One vehicle alone has carried ten thousand. A squall strnok our boat just after dinner and pale-faced men and womeii were in the majority. The supper bell rang but few obeyed the summons and went below and waadeeply repented of by those few, who lost what little supper they did eat. But the followmg morning was bright and fair, the unpleasantnos of the night had passed as a shadow, and all seemed bent upon enjoying the few rcmaining hours before landing in Detroit which we did a little after the appointed time, 1:30 p. m., Thursday. So onded our delightful trip to Mackinac.