The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-08-17
A SAILORS YARN.

1.-THE Valeria was lying in the bay
i at st. Michael's, one of the dullest
holes we ever put into in all my expert
ence. Harry Martin was first lieutenant
and was second. Cripps was our cap
tain-a good old sort enough, only he
bothered us rather with reading out
sermons on Sunday, for he was a rigid
Presbyterian, and was forever inveigh-
ing against the errors of Rome. Rather
a queer line for thorough going sailor
to take up, wasn't it?
"Of course could get frequent leave
when wanted a run on shore, but 1
didn't much care about taking it, for
really there was nothing earthly to do
in the place. L had a bad leg at the
time, remember, the remains of a
frightful hack at oot-ball when we play
ed the Excellent and beat them into fits,
in this very place, the autumn before;
so wasn't up to much walking, and
couldn't visit the places beyond the
town which Martin was always talking
about and sketching.
"By and by began to notice that
though he spoke of the general beauties
of the island scenery he appeared by his
sketch book to haunt one spot almost
exclusively = the Convent of Santa
Agata, on the top of hill just behind
the town. There were pictures of Santa
Agata from all points of the compass.
1t was only to me as an old chum, that
he showed those pictures; and it wasn't
long before l got out of him, by dint of
little chaffan little judicious SYM
pathy, that he was madly in love-or
fancied he was, which is just as bad,
every bit, while it lasts-with one of the
sisters at Santa Agata. Why, you might
just as well have been in love with the
moon, for all the response you could get
to your finest feelings, if you centered
them on Spanish nun. And so told
Martin, for 1 had been through the very
identical case myself at Vera Cruz,
aboard the Rapid.
"'But, Jim,' said Martin, quietly,
looking quite shy and red in the face,
for he was an awfully modest man and
not half as well seasoned in these mat
ters as 1 am; suppose there has been
some response?'
"'You don't mean to say you've spok-
en- or corresponded with her?'
For answer Martin pulled a little
packet of letters out of the breast pocket
of his jacket, tied with piece of brand
new blue ribbon which the old duffer
must have bought for the purpose.
"By degrees the whole story was told.
he had seen Dona Dolores for the first
time three weeks before, when he had
strolled into the convent at the visiting
hour to buy some of the nuns famous
lace for his people at home. That was
how the acquaintance began-by looks
of admiration on the one side apparent
appreciation of them on the other
After this Martin confessed he was al
ways buying lace every visiting day,
until the old gorgoness who assisted at
the lace selling began to grow suspicious
and changed her companion for another
sister more of her own calibre than
pretty little Dolores. With the latter,
however, our precious first lieutenant
was by this time on. pretty intimate
speaking terms, and by means of mar
ket woman or mule girl or some such
emissary, managed to carry on COR
respondence of frequent notes.
81 stared in astonishment when he
told me all this, but really, there are no
lengths that a shy man won't 60 to
when once he's reused. OF all lovers,
I've heard girl say, there's nothing
to come up to a shy man when he's in
earnest.
" Well, SO far the affair had gone and