Mabel, an Irish import, trying to escape the terrible potato famine, made passage aboard an unknown ship headed to the Americas. After many hardships at sea the ship unfortunately sank in a heavy fog 3 miles from the coast. One of the few survivors, Mabel lost all her belongings and sense of direction. Determined to live until the ripe age of 90, Mabel started swimming to shore. Two months later, wrinkled and water-logged, she finally touched solid ground, the Minnesota side of Lake Superior.

Mabel collapsed where she had beached, only to be captured by some renegades five days later who had stopped to cool their guns in the water. With Mabel bound and chained to a funny two-wheeled wagon, the group started trekking toward the west. Mabel made friends with "Cookie" and on dark nights by the campfire they traded recipes, the aroma of fresh baking filled the countryside. Mabel made good her escape by disguising herself as spokes of a wagon wheel. She was left down at the bottom of the hill just south of this establishment. Fortunately, someone had built a fireplace and left utensils to cook with.