The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-12-22
A SINGULAR MARRIAGE.
A SAILOR,s STORY

w E had been upon the Mediterranean
w station for about year, when our
commander ordered the ship to head for
Marseilles. The excellent and safe harbor
Of this Liverpool of France invites with
open arms, as It were, the various nations
whose tonnage makes a highway of this
famous inland sea. Here the flags of Italy,
Portugal, England and America, mingled
with those of the far East, forming most
interesting maritime picture.
In the busy streets of Marseilles one is
jostled by Turks, Arabs, spaniards, and
the queer-looking sailors of the Grecian
Archipelago, while jolly Yankee and British
tars are equally conspicuous. Indeed,
there is perfect Babel of tongues saluting
ones ears everywhere, owing to the hetero-
geneous mingling of nationalities, while
the eye is dazzled by costumes as varied as
a picture of the Roman carnival. The city
is sort of miniature Paris with an Oriental
dash added.
l was then a young midshipman, and en-
joyed the leave on shore in foreign port
with a boyish delight There were six in
our mess, and we managed to get shore
leave SO as to be together when it was pos
sible to do so. This was the case one fine
Sunday in the month of December, as mild
and summer-like in the south of France as
a New England May day.
The singular experience of one of our
I Aa11 II. Al,
mess table or the camp fire, but have never
put it into print.
We were strolling on the square known
as LIE Cours St. Louis, sort of permanent
flower market where the women sit en-
throned in tent-like stalls of wood, encir-
cled by their bright, beautiful, and fra
grant wares, while the manner of arrang-
ing the stalls, so that the vendor sits raised
some six feet in the air, gave novel effect
to the scene.
We watched with special delight these
black-eyed, black-haired and rosy-cheeked
girls, the blush of health in their faces fair
ly rivalling that of their scarlet flowers.-
With busy fingers they arranged in dainty
combinations the vivid and delicate colors,
relieved by fresh green leaves and trailing
vines of smilax, while we young middies
joked pleasantly with them and bought
fabulous quantities of bouquets.
While we were idling away the Hour in
LIE Cours st. Louis with these roguish and
petty flower vendors, we were all thrown
into state of amazement and curiosity by
the appearance of young girl of about
seventeen, who rushed among us with a
startling speed, and who, hardly pausing
to regain her breath, said in excellent Eng
lish:
"You are Americans, and, trust, gen.
tlemen. Is there one among you who will
marry ?"
I'VE will all marry you," was the in
slant response, accompanied by hearty
laughter.
Ah, you are in sport, but am in earn
est. Who will marry me?"
There seemed to be no joke after all.--
The girl was positively in earnest and
looked at one and all of us as cody, yet
earnestly, as possible.
Here, Harry" said one who was rather
leader among us, and addressing Harry
b, "you want wife," and he gave
our comrade sly push toward to girl.
For some singular reason, Harry took the
matter much more in earnest than the rest
of us, and regarded the newcomer with a
most searching but respectful glance. Ap-
preaching her, he said:
81 do not know exactly what you mean,
but l can understand by your expression of
face that you are quite in earnest. Will
you take my arm, ana let us walk to one
side ?"
eyes but have no time to lose, and,
taking his arm, they walked away togeth-
or.
We looked upon the affair as some we'll
prepared joke, but were little annoyed at
the non-appearance of Harry at our rendez-
vous on the quay. Our leave expired at
sunset, and we dared not wait for him, as
Captain D. was thorough disciplin-
arian, aud we didn't care to provoke him
and thus endanger our next Sundays
leave.
On board we went, therefore, leaving
Harry on shore. When we reported, the
question was of course asked where Mid
shipmen B. was, to which query we
could return no proper answer, as we real
ly did not know. He knew perfectly well
that we must all be at the boat-landing
just before sunset. 1t was plain enough to
us all that there was trouble brewing for