Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-19


more than half carrying the prettiest
little Spanish girl I ever saw. Oh,
ladies she was beauty Eyes like the
stars in the flag, and the sweetest little
face-kisses just sticking all over 1t
But wasn't she the sickest little mortal
| that ever set foot on deck? [ tell you,
she was all green and yellow, and looked
half starved. / do not believe she'd
! kept down quarter OF dinner for a
month past.
'Hnllo, Jack = said I what's the
matter? And I gave the lady d seat on
the lounge in my cabin. The poor little
thing couldn't sit up straight, SO l just
| hoisted her feet up and made her COM
Portable among the pillows.
.ssCapta1n,' said he, L want you to
| marry me to this young lady
"'Marry you?' said I. What do
vou mean? She's too sick to be mar
ried, man She can't stand up. IF
you and she want to be married. why
don't you wait till you get ashore
"You see, ladies, we talked out free
before her, for she couldn't understand
word of English.
So If we wait till then,' said he, you
and I'll be going to her funeral instead
of her wedding. We've got to be mar
ried, and right away, and you have got
to marry US.
"You see again, ladies, we were very
great friends outside the ship, and when
we were alone together we dropped all
ceremony.
"'What in thunder are you in such q
hurry for p said I. why can't YOU
wait till you're ashore? Where are the
| lady's fiends?'
"' Her stepfather's aboard my ship,
he said.
"'I thought so, said and won't
have anything to do with it,
"He just turned and winked me 'out
Of the tail of his eye, and then remem-
| bered, In q moment of misplaced conf
dence, L had told him of some little cir
cumstances in regard to my own mar
riage.
monkey, I think they're sometimes jus
tifiable. Now, just look here, Cap; lis
ten, and I'll tell you all about it. That
little girl has no relations, nothing but q
stepfather, and she's dependent on him
for support. Well, the old coot's doc
tor, and crazy at that; OF, if he isn't
he's the me9nest cuss on earth. He's
taken 1t into his added old head to dis
| cover q sure cure for sea-sickness, and,
because just the name of a ship sets poor
Dolores 10 casting up accounts, he's
been taking her on all sorts of long voy-
ages, and trying his various decoctions
| on her. So want to marry her to get
her out of his way. OF course I'm in
love With her and all that said he, look
ing kind of foolish, but if that was all,
I'd wait till we got ashore. OF course [
can't make him let her alone unless she's
my wife, and If he has control Of her
much longer she'll never see port again.
DO you mean to say said I, star
ing at him in surprise, that he tries ex-
perlments on her-gives her things that
amt medicine?'
"' [ do said he and mean to say
that the last thing he gave her was
bottle of bed-bug poison, and it most
killed her.
"' By the Flying Dutchman 7 said I,
L should think it would Where's the
old coot now?'
"'I In irons. I told him I wouldn't
have any such doing aboard my ship, and
he slapped my face. So 7 put him in
irons. and came off to you
"Well, ladies, [ just went over to the
sofa where the little girl was rolling her
big black eyes at US, and wondering what
IN thunder we were saying.
"H How old are you, my dear p [
asked in Spanish.
"You see, I'd been married more'n
two years, and I thought I'd sorter
right to be paternal.
"' Eighteen, Senior Captain, said she,
Ii the softest voice in the world.
"Said I: DO you love this Young
man and want to marry him? You
needn't if you don't, because I'll see to
it your stepfather doesn't bother you
any more
Il didn't dare look around at Jack, for
knew he'd be looking blaoker'n thun-
der at me just then. And, indeed, he
took a step toward US but made him
keep off till she should have answered for
herself.
"Well, she blushed very prettily, and
hesitated for second, then answered
very sweetly that, If the Senior Captain
didn't mind trouble, she should MARI
the senior first officer. That the senior
first officer had been her only friend;
that, although she had taken many voy-
ages and seen many people, she had
never before found any one who cared
to interfere in her behalf thai she felt
very grateful TO the senior first officer,
and had now become attached to him,
ard, with the Senior Captains permits
sion, world gladly become his wife.
"As she said this, Jack got out Of
sight behind the door, put his thumb to
his nose, and twirled his fingers at me
in the most disrespectful manner. I had
q great mind to put hia in irons for
mutiny--but no matter.
"Of course there was nothing to be
done except marry them she was over
Is, and at sea the Captains as good as
parson, you know.
$50 / called up the passengers and
officers ; and the ladies dressed her up in
their own finery, and we had wedding
in very short order. After that the
ships surgeon prescribed an antidote
for the bed-bug poison.
"The second officer went over and
took command of the coffee ship in
Jacks place, and sent back Dolores
trunk and clothing. At first [ thought
we couldn't get along without him, for
Jack was SO deeply in love with his little