STEPHEN RICHARDS | Special to MuskokaTODAY.com FICTION

Episode 5, Part 3 – the missing chapter

Later that day, Hotels and dance halls, Dorset

Bart Neely, his Maine Coon cat named Desmond, and Claire Mont-Marque (eClaire to his friends), are receiving a walking tour from a local guide and historian Alfred Crowbar Jones. They are in search of some sheet music lost here back in the 1940s.  Based on a discussion with Howard Reid, the composer of said music, a search of hotels and dance halls in the area would be the best bet to locate the pieces.  Bart consults the map in the procured brochure.

Three of the hotels and halls in the fringe area no longer exist: Wawa Hotel at Norway Point featuring a Goose Statue, Britannia Hotel and Hall and Ronville Summer Resort at Fox Point.

The two cross the Humpback Bridge, built in 1859 for horse and wagon traffic between Big and Little Trading Bay to the first site.  They make enquiries and search each locale to no avail.

Alfred: “Ed Speer’s property was the first general store and post office in Dorset and is the permanent home of the BigWind Steamer, currently being overhauled. You can see it moored at the wharf built in 1885.  The captain’s quarters were upstairs the adjoining building, which one day will be a maritime museum and ticket office after being gutted and renovated.

“The Dorset Dance Hall was also cleaned out and is now an Ice-cream parlour.

“The Dorset Hotel is famous for two members of the Group of 7 who lodged there – Franz Johnson 1907, A.J Casson 1929. It is now the Fiery Grill and the top floor has been removed.  In back are the remains of the Snake House, the local “drunk tank” back in the day.  All you can see today is a cedar rail of the Snake Fence.  Most fences in this county are either rock (we got plenty) or cedar (it lasts and lasts).

“Here is the site of the Colebridge Hotel.  It burnt down. And Robinson’s General Store, formerly The Red Onion Hotel.  Well, at least parts of it still remain.

“We have now reached the end of the tour. Here we are at the logging museum and gift shop.”

Bart and eClaire look at each other “Pass,” they say in unison.

Bart’s phone ring and it’s Marley with some additional intel.

BigWind

Marley’s research discovers a brochure from 1945 detailing a resort on BigWind Island and calls Bart relaying her discovery.

“Big Wind — every wind that blew, is swept across the island and funnelled due to the high land on either side of the channel.

S.S. BigWind, a steamer on the lake, plied trade to grand hotels such as the BigWind Inn on Big Wind Island. It ferried guests such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, George Gershwin and Louis Armstrong.  It also provided a 10-minute ride to shuttle guests for Sunday church services.

Charles Shaw purchased the 670-acre property in 1915. He built a unique resort consisting of a central building with rotunda, library, children’s play area, Tea House and Great Lounge. There was a dodecagon dining room overlooking the lake, sleeping quarters consisted of a three-storey structure flanking the central building. And a dance pavilion with room on stage for nine-piece orchestra.

The Anglo Canadian Concert Band played there in the early years.  The complex included the BigWind Cottage Colony complete with four stone bungalows for exclusive guests.  Shaw died in 1942, the property was sold in 1948 and closed in 1960.  Not sure how much of it still remains.”

Marley says: “Best to check it out, Bart.”

Alfred gets his boat and cruising over to the island they make small talk, until Alfred’s phone rings. Bart overhears him. “Merci Beaucoup. Yeah, I have a mustache.  A beard too.  Uh huh. A boat. Yes.  Will do.  Thanks.”

On the other end of the line is “The Captain.”  There was only one thing about his own appearance that really pleased Merci Beaucoup Pirouette, and that was the profusion of his moustaches, and the way they responded to grooming and treatment and trimming. They were magnificent. He knew of nobody else who had any moustache half as good.  He applied a new formulation of wax and has just curled the ends in rollers.

“Oh! Do not excite yourself. Shall I say that you interested me because you are trying to grow a mustache and as yet the result must be poor!”  Pirouette stroked his own magnificent mustache tenderly. “It is an art,” he murmured, “the growing of the mustache. I have sympathy for all who attempt it.”  Pirouette proceeds to explain what he wanted and how it should be done, holding back the Royal connection.

Alfred: “I just got a long distance call.”

“Merci Beaucoup – French?” Bart enquires.

“No. Belgian.”

“I am lost.”

“That’s what he said.”

“Who said?

“Pirouette.”

Bart spins and smiles.  “I don’t think that would help.”

“No no! The call was from someone named Captain Merci Beaucoup Pirouette, a private detective from Belgium. He is looking for some documents, too, and expects our help.  The documents disappeared sometime between 1941 and 1945 and he wants us to check out a few spots for him.  The cheeky monkey said ‘Use your eyes. Use your ears. Use your brains — if you’ve got any. And, if necessary act.’  The strangest thing is, he asked if I had a mustache. As if that was a qualification to be his lackey.” Alfred exclaims straight-faced, then chuckles.

Alfred lashes the boat to the dock and the lackeys proceed to check out the Island.

“The BigWind Resort included four stone bungalows sometimes known as “Juliana,” possibly named after someone important who stayed here then and their documents tended to be kept in a fireproof vault.  He thinks it was in the Rotunda building. I believe that building still remains, so we can start with the cottages, then the Rotunda.”

They look around the building and site.  The safe is not there.

Alfred mentions St. Steven’s Methodist Church, built in 1894, as a possibility from his call with Pirouette.  He recalls the church having an oak lectern with a coat of arms brass plaque and marguerites. Some called it the Orange Hall.  “Let’s see if the safe was moved there.”  Off they go, back across the lake to the church, speculating there may have been a concealed drawer in the lectern or the documents were left at the church for safekeeping.

They talk to the staff and examine the lectern, but no hidden compartments, no documents.  Desmond sniffs around, shakes his head.

EClaire reluctantly asks Alfred about the museum and Alfred says:  “Let’s go look. Who knows? There might be a nice souvenir.”

Dorset Museum

They return to the Dorset Heritage Museum and gift shop at the far end of main street. Inside are displays featuring Dorset’s early pioneer life and logging.  Their search futile.  Desmond stops in front of a locked door to the basement.  The curator unlocks it, flicks on a bulb illuminating uneven steps and no handrail. Bart, eClaire and Desmond gingerly make their way to the bottom. Alfred remains atop, leaning against the sales counter chatting with the curator.

Bart and eClaire split up to search the basement. Desmond races up and down the passageways and head-butts an old waterproof mildew-resistant safe.  There is an old fiddle case resting on top of it bearing initials in gold “F H.” Desmond yowls something akin to “over here” and flips over a tag revealing the combination on the back.

They open the safe and inside is a thick envelope adorned with an official-looking seal. And fancy documents that look like a constitution. Among the official papers is a photo of a band —and Howard’s eight long-lost hand-scribed Songs of Muskoka musical manuscripts: Muskoka Sketches; Cedar Fenced Snake House Rock; Lo How a Tulip e’er Blooming; Harvey’s Dorset; BigWind Rag; Trixies Spinning Dance; Big Band Heroes and St. Steven’s Sonata.

It also contained another piece entitled “Orange Ya Glad I Didn’t Say Banana Again,” but unfortunately it was incomplete.

The next day

Debriefing Zoom call with Queen Beatrice and Howard, Bart and Captain Merci Beaucoup Pirouette

Queen Beatrice proclaims she was grateful to be in Muskoka in the 1940s, safe from the troubles back home.  She recalls marching around when the hotel musicians assembled dockside to play the national anthem “Wilhelmus.” And says she will never forget the nice young man who amused and raised her spirits back then.

To express gratitude, her parents had arranged to have 100,000 tulip bulbs sent each year to Ottawa and she has continued that tradition during her reign.  And now she plans to send some additional bulbs to the residents of Dorset.

Captain Pirouette interjects: “It was truly nothing.  Merely order and method.  Not ‘Willy Vanilli’ moving lips while someone sings ‘Blame it on the Rain.’ No sir. I slide the pieces around until I hit something and Tout-en-coup, c’est trouvé.

Bart rolls his eyes.  Desmond teases a knot out from a balloon, pulls on its neck and lets it go with a “pthhhhhhhhht.”  It flies around the room discharging the warm moist air.

This is followed by a moment of silence and then muted giggles.

Howard, while restraining his laughter, informs Trixie Orange that he was the young man who gave her the maple candy, and it was his band that played the anthem. He gives thanks to all for finding his lost pieces and says he forgot all about the music he wrote in Muskoka until recently. And has no idea how these arrangements ended up in the safe.

Bart distractedly picks up a model of a dragon Viking ship and says…“Must have been the big wind.”

To be continued with Episode 6, Part 1

Steve Richards is a Muskoka musician and sleuth who turns chaos in to order.