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


ships side and told me what WI
wanted.
1t appears that the ship was a co
fee ship from San Francisco, and ha
come to st. Jose for cargo. 1t wa
only half loaded when one Of thel
boats capsized In the surf, drownin
the captain and first Office. The SEE
ond officer was very low with feve
and they had nobody to navigate tn
vessel; so they'd had to wait in por
until some other ship came along an
could lend 'em An officer or somebod
who understood navigation.
Well. l called up the first officer
and put him aboard the coffee ship, AN
In a day or two we both sailed
We are going over the same groun'
or sea rather-and as the two yes
sells were equally fast, we kept eacl
other in sight most of the time
We'd been out ten days, and were il
American waters again, when all o
sudden the ship hove to, and sig
nailed US to stop. We run as close Il
them as we could, and we hove to
and presently through the glass saw
a boat lowered and there was 1
woman in it.
/ was surprised, as you can i'm
agine, for did not know there was
any passengers on the coffee ship
though there were half q dozen on
my own. In q few minutes up the
side came my first officer, more than
half carrying the prettiet little
Spanish girl I ever saw. Oh, ladies!
she was beauty! Eyes like the stars
on flag, and the sweetest little face
kisses just sticking out all over it!
But wasn't she the sickest little NOR.
tai that over set foot on deck! l tell
you she was all green and yellow, and
looked half starved. / do not be.
lieve she'd kept down quarter of a
dinner for month past.
Aullo, Jack! said l; what's the
matter! And l gave the lady a seat
OH the lounge in my cabin. The
poor little thing couldn't sit upright,
80 I just hoisted her feet up and
made her comfortable among the pill.
lows.
Captain, said he, l want you to
marry me to this young lady.
Marry you! said 1. What do you
mean! She's too sick to be married,
man. She can't stand up. If you
and she want to be married, why
don't you wait till you get ashorel
You see, ladies', we talked out free
before her, for she couldn't under.
stand word Of English.
If we wait till then, said he, you
and I'll be going to her funeral in.
stead of her wedding. We've got to
be married, and right away, and you
have got to marry us.
You see again, ladies, we were
very great friends outside of the ship
and when we were alone together we
dropped all ceremony.
What in thunder are you in such a
hurry fort said l. Why can't you
wait till you are ashore! Where are
the lady's friends!
Her step fathers aboard my ship,
he said.
Thought so, said 1; I won't have
anything to do with it.
He just turned and winked me out
Of the ball of his eye, and then l re.
membered in moment of misplaced
confidence, I had told some little cir.
cumstances in regard to my own mar.
rage.
Hem! said he, grinning like a mon.
key, think they're some time JUST.
fable. Now, just look here, Cap
listen and Iii tell you all about it.
That little girl has no relations, moth.
ing but step.father, and she's de,
pending on him for support. Well,
the old coot's a doctor, and crazy at
that. He's taken into his added old
head to discover a sure cure for sea-
sickness, and because just the name
Of ship sets poor little Dolores to
casting up accounts, he's been taking
her on all sorts of long voyages, and
trying his various decoctions on her,
So want to merry her to get her out
Of his way. OF course I'm in love
with her and all that, said he, looking
kind of foolish, but If that was all,
I'd wait till we got ashore. OF course
I can't make him let her alone unless
she's my wife, and il he has contro
of her much longer she'll never see
port again.
Do you mean to say, said l, star
ing at him in surprise, that he tries
experiments on her-gives her things
that amt medicine!
lido, said he; and l mean to sa.
that the last thing he gave her was
bottle Of bedbug poison and it mos
killed her. BY the flying Dutchman
said l, ] should think it would
Where's the old coot nowa
In irons, / told him / wouldn'
have any such doings on board IN!
ship, and he slapped my face. So
put him In irons, and came off to you
Well, ladies l just went over to tn
sofa where the little girl was rolling
her big black eyes at us and wonder
ing what in thunder we were saying
How old are you, my dear, aske'
In Spanish.
You see I'd been married NOR
two years, and / thought I'd a sorte
right to be parternal.
Eighteen Senior Captain, said she
in the softest voice in the world.
Said I: Do you love this young ma
and want to marry hint You needn
lif YOU don't, because I'll see that you