Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-11-27

Captain Brown said Gilnour, after
that worthy seaman had squared the yards
to his satisfaction, got his fancy waist
/ clothes at the gangway, and inspected the
/ fitting on of the good clothes, which a mer-
| chant vessel dons in pOrt-'do you know
any of the inhabitants of this odd looking
village on the hillside p
Village, Nj. GilmOur | pray you
don't call this village. This is city,
sir-the first city in Calfornia-and, if
mistake not, continued the captain, 'yon-
der at the custom house stands the alcalde,
hospitable gentleman to whom our COM
pany is indebted for many favors.'
A few moments afterwards both speakers
were heartily greeted by that official, who,
as the boats keel grated on the sand, well
coined them to Monterey.
| Among the many young and pretty
| Spanish girls whom GilmOur met in MCn-
terey was Maria Ignacia. A spirit of ri
valry induced him to throw himselfinto the
list with the Spanish gallants who strove
| for the fair Maria's smiles. He was more
than successful. The difference in his
manner. his recitals of adventure in Eu
rope; and descriptions of the grand places
of history, were something so novel to Ma
ria, so totally different from tie stereotyp-
ed compliments of her wooers, that she
found a charm in his society which, in her
innocence, she cared not to conceal. But
| the end came at last. The Delight was to
proceed northward, and the supercargO
prepared to take leave of all his Spanish
friends.
And so, Maria said Gilmour, on the
evening preceding his departure, our
pleasant visit comes to an end. Well, L
have improved my Spanish, and you little
Madonna, if ever the fates take you to Eng
| land, you will recognize the abbeys and the
churches from toy descriptions
Maria Ignaca did not reply, but stopped
| to pick up an abalone shell, which, etard
sheeny, lay in the sand at her feet.
And now, Maria, have only one re-
Quest To make. which our charming &C
Guaintance warrants. 1t has three parts,
however-a SOurenir from this dark hair OF
yours: letter now and then, when you
weary of your Spanish lovers, and wish to
| talk to me across the water and--a kiss
Still no answer from the girl, who. with
eyes cast down, stroled along by his side.
] L., - tod hot
PRAYERS prevail, Maria.
Her soft eyes were raised to his, and he
was surprised to find how pale the face
was, and how moist the rounded cheek.
He raised her lips to his with half sigh,
and then, as if 4 new thought had sudden
ly struck him, said abruptly, half to him
self and half to her Good God it can't
be so, Maria Tell me--dO you love me?'
The wonderful passion in the full brown
eyes, so tender and despairing, told him
ALL And when, like foolish young man,
! he tool, her in his arms, and swore all the
oaths that lovers have SO often sworn and
so often broken, and when they strolled
| DaCK over the sands, 4Harla's wero
gone, and James Gilmore clasped the hand
of his promised wife.
| This was all the romance in Maria's life.
The next day the Delight sailed, and for
ten years neither ship nor supercargo were
heard of in Monterey. But she never mar
ried. She had strange way Of every ev-
ening walking to the hill top where the old
fort stood, and looking wistfully out across
the water; then sorrowfully and resigned
! ly returning to her home, nursing her inva-
lid and sour temperd mother, and training
the roses about the adobe walls.
On this Christmas eve, Maria Ignacia,
kneeling before her old fashioned engraving
of the Madonna, thought of the manger in
| Bethlehem centuries ago, and wondered
sorrowfully if James GilmOur was enjoying
in his English home the Christmas tree and
the mistletoe, and all those games he had
told her of when they had walked on the
sands ten years ago. And then her
thoughts went back to that June evening
when he kissed her lips and called her his
wife
Boom boom. boom through the still
night mir.
Maria opened her window and looked
ont. 4 party of Portuguese whalers went
by, and she learned from their excited ex-
carnations that ship had gone ashore on
the Point Pinos Rocks.
MAY God and the Virgin succOr them =
she murmured piOusly, as she hurried to
wrap her shawl around her, and was soon
in the street.
Every one was astir Men on h0rseback
with ropes rode furiously along the beacf
and toward the Point the whalers manned
their boats, set their sails, and sped before
the blast through the moonlit waters. They
were all too late. The cruel, pointed rocks
had torn the i'll fated vessel to fragments
and the breakers dallled with spar anc
mast. now finging them high up on the
J beach, and again drawing them back t.
hurl them once more against the brown
, cliffs. But not a single body did the wave:
throw up that night.
Christmas day dawned, and when Maria
Jrnacia Gomez looked from her window
down to the crescent beach, she saw {
crowd of men standing about something
They lifted it up and bore it through th'
street to her door, for hers was the house
nearest the beach.
is he dead p she asked, fearfuly.
) when we first saw him. said whaler
: 'he was clinging to spar, and before w
cot the boat out he was washed ashore.
They laid him on bed. His dark bearC
was full of sand and weeds, and white
froth issued from his lips ; finely bull
man-kandsome, no doubt, when thos'
eyes now staring so blindly, had light an(
life. and those well-cut lips moved ant
smiled.
Maria Maria, what ails you p
She was standing by the bedside, he
: hands crossed over her breast; her eyes a
tt L..