The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-12-30
LOVE ON THE HIGH SEAS.

Atlantic Monthly for January
/
LOVE ON THE HIGH SEAS.
Now, said the captain, we shant SCI
any more land for week, and vol
young ladies II have nothing to do bu
let some of these young fellows fall il
love with you.
Fall in love, cried Hetty, her tip-tilt
ed nose curling with incredulity and
disgust. Who would fall in love at sea-
I'd like to knowi
Who could, asked the captain, in in.
nocent surprise. Why everybody does.
Why mott
Hetty smiled in evident unbelief, but
glanced furtively across the deck to-
ward the handsome young officer where
he leaned on the rail, blowing rings of
smoke into the deep blue sky.
Mischievous Deb and the quick
sighted captain detect both, and laugh
numerically. Hetty bushes, and the
arst officer uncompromisingly turns his
back and q deaf ear to the captains
guffawf.
1t is evening on shipboard, dinner is
over, the days work is done, and all are
assembled on deck.
The sun, which hung all day like q
copper gong upon 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 hammock
of an island, long and high and mar
row, rises out of the sea like the grave
mound of some ocean God.
For once the water is smooth; moth
ing breaks its stiffness but the steam
er's trail, and the sea gulls now and
then brushing its surface. Far, far away
far as the eye can resch-is nothing
but the same expanss Of deep blue
waters, broken only by those yellow
hills, now fast vanishing into distance
and night.
Overhead, only another and wider ex.
panse, still "deeply, darkly, beautifully
blue" and behind cloud the new
moon just beginning to look forth upon
the boisterous world below.
Prigsby, from London, explains to
gaping audience how the scenery now
before them suffers from comparison
with that of the Rhine. Sam. Bolsnd,
Of San Francisco, carelessly replies to
an enquirer that he is going prospecting
for gold In Gautamala, acknowledges it
to be "pretty risky business" admits
the country to be full Of road-agents
and bushwhackers, but "reckons he'll
pull through" Meantime Hettey and
Deb, seeing the captain had . story in
reserve settled themselves to hear it.
Didn't I tell you how my first officer
got married. Not Well, nobody
could been sickcr'n his wife was when
he courtsd her. I'll just tell you all
about it, II you like.
Well. you see, I haven't always
been captain Of first.class steamer
no, stree! I ran away to sea when
was twelve years old, and I've worked
my way from the bottom of the lad.
der. Well, when I was thirty, I was
captain Of large sailing vessel that
was in the South American trade.
! sailed from the port of Callao,
San Francisco being my destination.
My second officer was an Englishman
but my first was an American, only
two or three years younger than l.
as good.looking ayoung fellow as ever
saw; tall, straight and handsome,
with eyes like blue china. He was a
right good fellow, too; brave and
honest, but frisky as q kitten, and
up to all kinds Of lsrks.
Well, we crept up the coast, stop
ping at every ninth door, as ouI
orders obliged us to do, taking in all
sorts Of things, all booked for Sar
Francisco. Finally we came to San
Jose de Gustemals-that lies ninety
miles inland-and there we hove to-
and waited for chance to 60 ashore
Did you ever hear Of the surf or
that coast, ladiesi Not Well, Il
often rolls fifteen or twenty feet high
and . good part Of the time no boa
could live In It. Sorry we're not 20
ing to stop this trip or you might SCI
1t. You see, there's really no harbo
nothing but an open roadstead-
and, except in the Bay of Fundy, thi
place shows the highest and loves
tide in the world. The people her
tried to build a breakwater out be
yond the surf, but 1t breaks over /
half the time, and when 1t doesn't 1
knocks 1t to pieces. Sometimes yes
sells have to ride at anchor for
week before they can put boa
ashore
We'd only just hove to when ! nc
ticed that ship ut anchor, mot far of
was making signals of distress, an
that . boat was putting of In on
direction. OF course, We were al
chored far out beyond the surf, an
|. 1t was comparatively easy for tn