The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-08-18

LOVE ON THE HIGH SEAS.
"Now," says the captain, eve sha'n't
see any more land for a week, and you
young ladies IL have nothing to do but
let some of these fellows fall in love
with you"
Fall in love" cries Hetty, her tip
tilted nose curling with incredulity and
disgust. "Who could fall in love at
sen, I'd like to know?"
who could?". asks the captain, in
innocent surprise. why, everybody
does. Why not?"
why, the seas 50 nasty" emphati-
cally cxclaims Hetty. "Of course
don't mean the water. but everything in
it md on it. Ships are so dirty and
smell 50, and everybody's seaeick and
cross and selfish. How could any man
fall in love with q seasick womanP
Ueh!" and she views herself and Deb
with disgust.
"Now, that's q big mistake you
make" says the captain, eagerly. Do
you think a woman can't he attractive
when she's sea-sickp Why, sailors
ptstalways court their wives at sea-,
,Cthere isn't one woman in hundred
nat isn't sick. Why, what else have
these youngsters got to do but think of
tile women? In storm it's different;
but in calm weather sailor hasn't
enough to do to keep him busy half the
day. and naturally his eyes and thoughts
are occupied the rest O. the time with
the prettiest girl on board. Look at my
first officer over there, pretending to
talk to the doctor and looking as de-
mure as cat. What do you suppose
he's thinking Of? You, I'll bet my nat! !"
Hetty smiles in evident unbelief, but
clances furtively across deck toward the
handsome young first officer, where he
leans on the rail, blowing rings OF
81: oke into the deep blue sky.
He is ostensibly absorbed in one of
the doctors long-winded yarns; but
just here his eyes, which have been fixed
on the yellow coast to windward, some
how or other slide round tc leeward,
and bestow a sidelong glance on
Hetty's pretty little half sea- sick figure,
stretched at full length in steamer
cllair.
Niischievous Deb and the quick
sighted captain detect both, and laugh
numerically. Hetty bushes, and the
first officer unconpromisingly turns his
back and deaf ear to the captains
outlaws.
There, told you so," said his su-
perior. "Now you won't be out of his
head for a week. Oh, / tell you it
don't make any difference girls being
sea sick! Cupid has to have his fling
at q sailor as well ss at every one else.
And they strike their colors quicker'n
-ny other men, for their love-making
las to be al done in the course of the
voyage. Ifthey hang back and shilly-
shally. why, the first thing they know
they're in port, and off goes their lady
love, and that's the last they see OF her.
AS for the sea-sickness, why, they ex-
pect that and itydoesn't discourage 'em
the least mite in the world. But there's
one thing that's pretty hard on sailor,
and that is, if Lis sweetheart's sick, he
can't get her to listen to him at all.
While he's making love his very pref
tiest and courting his very darndest,
why, she's thinking all the time how
her head does ache. or wishing she had
some more ice, or wondering when
they'll get into port. And she don't
maze no more account O. the poor
fcller's feelin's than if mosquito was
a-buzzin' round her ears. Oh, tell
you, n sailors much-abused ANIMAL"
And the gallant captain sighs and
shakes his head over the :sorrowful lot
of his fellows.
1t is evening on shipboard; dinner is
over, the days work done, and all who
can move are assembled on deck.
The sun, which has hung all day like
copper gong on q brass ceiling, is now
mercifully disappearing. The noun
tains Of Lower California shine in his
fast fading rays like "the golden hills
of heaven" while one little hummock
of an island, long and high and narrow,
rises out of the sea like the grave-mound
of some ocean god.
For once the water is smooth; moth
ing breaks its stiffness bnt the steamers
trail, and the low.hying gulls now and
then brushing its surface. Far, far away
far as,the eye can reach-is Dothing but
the same expanse of deep blue waters,
broken only by those yellow hills, now
fast vanishing into distance and night.
Overhead, only another and wider
expanse, still deeply, darkly, beauti.
fully blue" and behind cloud the
bashful new moon just beginning to
look forth upon the boisterous world
below.
Prigsby, from London, explains to q
gaping audience how the scenery now
before them suffers from comparison
with that of the Rhine. Sam Boland
otSan Francisco, carelessly replies tc
an inquirer that lie is going prospecting
for gold in Guatemala, acknowledges i,
to be a "pretty risky business" admits
the country to be full of road.a gents and
bushwhackers, but "reckons he'll pull
through" Meantime, Hetty and Deb
seeing the captain had story in reserve
settle themselves to hear and enjoy it
Didn't I ever tell yon how my frs
officer got married !? No? Well, no
body could a. been sicker'n his wife wa
when he courted her. III just tell ycr
about it, if you like.
"Well, you see, railways beer
clptain of q first class steamer-no
stree ] ran away to sea when I wa:
twelve years old, and I've worked my
way up from the bottom of the ladder
Well, when l was thirty. I was .captair
of large sailing vessel that was in tht
South American trade.
81 sailed from the port of Callao
Francisco being my destination
M ysecond officer was an Englishman
hut my first was an American, only two
CT three years younger than !, as good
lroking fellow as ever saw; tall ant
straight and hau some,s with eyes lik
hlue china. He was right good fellow
too; brave and honest, but frisky as 1
kitten and up to all sorts of larks.
"Well, we crept up the coast, stop
ping at every ninth. door, as our order
obliged US to do, taking in all sorts o
things, all booked for San Francisco
Finally we came to San Jose de Guate
,nala, which is the port for the city O
,tiuatemala-that.l lies ninety miles inlan'
--and there we hove-to, and waited TO
chance 10 60 ashore.
'sDid you ever hear of the surfo tina
eo4st, ladiesP Mop Well, 1t often roll