Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-09-30
SeltfteO Storp.
The Second Mate.

do not remember when II was that the
second mate first began to show his dem
onstrative admiration for our pretty fellow
passenger. II was Dick Halliday who
called my attention to II aS a capital Joke
while We were yet In the Mediterranean
fortnight or 80 after we had sailed from
Legh0ru. We two were leaning on the
quarterrail iusi before du,k. when Miss
Ellis came on deck. " L tciv : tnc Cau,I,e,
said Dick, and presently you'll ,"e the
moth" In the course of the next five min
utes Mr.. Jones our second hIate. lounged
over from the opposite side OF the deck.
and entered into an animated conversation
wiki the young lady on the Interesting top
&c OF sharks. At least we judged so by her
questions, which We're put in such clear,
sweet voice, that the wind, 10th 10 part
with the musical tones, indlscreetly car
rled them within our hearing. Hes a
sort of death : head moth in point of beau
~. continued nv friend; but hes neith-
er too ugly nor too old to >uiler an uncom-
Portable singe.ng.'
| haG hali-furmed idea that | rather
liked the second mate, and a very certain
conviction that particularly admired pret-
~ Mary Ellis. As disliked to see the man
maze a fool OF himself, or the girl appear
la the d.screditable character OF CO.
quette, Dicks moth-and-candle theory an.
noyed me. | therefore took the liberty OF
totally disbelevin. il, and should have con
tinued Ia do so had not the evidence grad
ually become too plain 10 be mistaken.
There were only -four of Us in the caoin
Dick, Miss Ellis, her father and myself
Why We had taken passage from Leshorn
10 New ork IN slow-sailing marble-la-
den ship. instead OF returning home BY a
and fashiauahl .tpas
not pertain 10 the present story. As the
only lady passenger, Miss Ellis naturally
was the chief object of interest TO my friend
and myself. Her father was old, i'll and un-
able 10 play whist, add was consequently
an extremely uninteresting passenger.
Fortunately he kept his room pretty close
ly, aud We saw very little OF him. But his
daughter was the brightest and most be-
witchlng little woman that ever made a
long sea-yoyage not only endurable, but
delightful. She was twenty-five. as she
frankly confessed. and had spent the last
three years in travelling with her invalid
father. She was never ill-tempered, never
dull or dispirited. and though frank and
bright IN manner, never trangre>sod the
limits of mlidenly propriety. She was
quite aware OF the fact that she was ex-
tremely pretty. and She had an rre,i stible
tendency toward inn"cent Irritation. Had
been young man. or had Dick not pos
sessed wife and quantity OF children at
home, one or both of us would certainly
have Iehearsed the world-old-drama of1idle
love, with Mary Ellis i'll the leading female
role, as the'critics would say.
As fo- Mr.. Jones, he was the last man
whom any one would have deemed capable
OF sentiment of any sort. He was old-fOr
although he said he was only thirty five
rough weather and "A wild, dissOlute life
had made him much older than his wears
His complexion was nearly the color oi
mahogany when it is thoroughly oiled
though 1t lacked the polished surface which
Is generally associated with that article ia
its manufactured state. His hair was eriz-
zled and unkemp., and an ugly scar, which
stretched across his forehead-the memo.
rial of Il desperate fight with a mutiuous
crew-added nothing to his beauty. Still
his eyes were clear and piercing, and hi-
figure athletic aud manly. | suppose there
are women who might possibly haye fallen
III love with him. The Duchess Josiane
certainly would.
When one came TO scrutiaZe Jones spir.
itual, a. distinguished from Jones physi
cal. it was still more difficult to understan nc
how lie could have had the amazing self
conceit To imagine that Miss Ellis could re-
gard him with anything but the barest tol
Grafton. lie was u bold. quick, skillfu
sailor, man born TO command the res
/ oil humanity that mans our merchant YES.
| sells. He was hard and cruel to the Iaz,
and ignorant, and, as a swearer. eclipsec
| any one whom had ever heard, in ths
| devlish intensity OF his innumerable oaths
/ He was a totally illiterate man, and hi,
want OF knowledge OF navigation made i
impossible for him to rise above a suberdi
nate station in his profession. His conver
sation had a certain spice of shrewdnes
and homely good sense. but was . perpet
ual defiance Of Lindley Murray and all hi
works. His code Of morality was summar
lily comprehended In the two rules-neve
to be drunk at sea, and always to ODE,
orders. This was certainly a pretty sor
OF fellow to take a fancy to refined an,
delicate girl. To do him Justice. he wa
brave and manly in his s,ation; but wha
right had he to look, except from AZ infin
tie distance. at sweet Mary Ellis?
1t would have been amusing, had il no
made me indignant. to note how the ma
watched for her appearance. At ever
step that sounded from the companion-ws
he would turn with look of expectatio
in his face, that the dullest witness coul