Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-03-13
AT Last.

''She is queer craft, truly, senior,
and. What Is more, she has at least one
bit of queer history attached to her."
We were standing on the Custom
ouse quay at Port Mahon-he, swar-
thy, handsome, eager-eyed and nervous
of speech, a typical representative of
the ragged, ease-loving, idleness-cur-
sed rabble which throngs every city of
he South of Europe. and has sent its
stragglers even into the army of busy
workers which populates the Balearic
Islands.
The subject of his comment, an old
brig with high bow and towering poop.
elaborate with quaint carvings, to which
some tarnished remnant of its ancient
gliding clung, rode easily at anchor
amid 4 fleet of other smaller but SINH
larly abandoned craft in the neglected
corner of the harbor TO which all such
marine veterans were relegated until
some enterprising speculator undertook
10 break them up.
what is the history?" I asked.
''The senior would like to hear it?"
Il would, indeed"
Nv new friend deliberately drew a
leaf of tobacco from his pocket, rolled
Il into 4 cigar, which he lighted from
nine. blew cloud OF pungent smoke
out in the direction of the brig, and.
seating himself on one of the stone
mooring- posts, with his eyes fixed upon
the vessel, said:
Then you shall"
This is his story as closely as | can
recollect il, word for word:
Fifteen years ago two people who
owed one smother more than well lived
at the farmhouse of the Finca Suberney
in the Barranco valley de Algan-
dar.
One was girl of the farm, "A creature
of beauty as pure and sweet as our
summer sky: and a spirit as loving and
wayward as the wind that blows from
the orange gardens of Alayor.
The other, lad of twenty, half sail
or, half husbandman, but all true lover,
had been anchored in the valley by the
cable of his heart. and in her eyes for
gotten TO long for the free air and the
salt spray.
They were man and wife, Of but
few months standing-man and wife,
who went to labor, in the lime groves
and orange orchards side by side, and
TO whom. even with its weary work
and common fare, the valley was
Paradise.
In the third month of their marriage
u stranger appeared in the valley.
He was an Englishman, a traveller
for pleasure, whose idle lounge brought
him to the farm. The place pleased
him, the people, as everywhere in the
Islands. were hospitable, and proud OF
the presence of guest; so he re-
manned.
Days wore to weeks, weeks became
months, and still he fingered. To-day
1; was an excursion among the shep-
herds of the desolate heights, that hem
the valley in; tomorrow a sturdy
climb up the Monte del Tow, with its
wind-worn convent ruins; again,
long ride through fields of golden grain
and gardens of olives, fruit groves and
fertile farms. Whatever the amuse-
ment was he followed it up earnestly,
as his countrymen always do.
At the end of his second month s
stay one of these excursions brought
him down the mountain side after
nightfall, with wild gale blowing
from the north, sweeping over the bare
hills with bitter breath
As he rode in the darkness, his atten-
ton was attracted by a woman s shrek.
Ii pierced the night, and the gale, sharp
and clear, full of wild appeals for aid,
and pushing toward it without hesita-
ton, he found himself before one of
those high, pyramidal structures OF
loose stones, i'm which the Balearic
shepherds shelter their sheep.
A fire was burning under the lee Of
,his stall. and by its light he saw wo-
mana girl, rather-struggling in the
arms of a burly, skin-clad ruffian. while
two others looked on with savage
laughs.
To ride one of these down, fell the
other to the earth, and with fierce
cut of his whip across the face compel
the third to release his prey, was the
work of as little time as it takes to tell
it. and before the shepherds had recov-
cred from their stupefaction, the crea-
tor of il had cantered out of reach of
the vollev of stones they sent after
them, clasping the rescued girl TO his
breast.
Her story was soon told. She was
the young bride of the farm, on her
way home from another hacienda, had
been stopped by the half-savage shep-
herds. as he had seen, so, riding and
talking, they came to the door Of the