The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-12-30
blacker'n thunder at me just then.
And indeed he took step toward us;
but ! made him keep off till she would
have answered for herself.

| poehSi u eiiuiluCi tI iuC JuoO tuCil
And indeed he took a step toward us
but made him keep off till she woul'
have answered for herself.
Well, she blushed very prettily, ant
hesitated fora second, then answered
very sweetly that If the senior captain
didn't mind trouble. she would MARI,
the senior first officer. That the seno
first officer had been her only friend
that although she had taken many voy
rges and seen many people, she hat
never found any one who cared to in
terfere in her behalf that she felt very
grateful to the senior first officer, and
had now become attached to him, and
with the senior captains permission
would 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. had q
g'c eat mind to put him in irons for mu.
tiny-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.
So | called up the passengers and
officers, and the ladies dressed up in
best tinery, 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 Doloter's trunk
and clothing. At first ! thought | could
not get along without him, for Jack
was so deeply in love with his little sea-
sick girl ] thought he'd be of no man.
ner of use. But we had good weather
most of the time, and Jack did his duty
like man.
But il was real touching to see him
go to his wife's cabin every day and
bring her on deck and fix her comforta.
bly, on bed the steward made for he =.
under an awning. And then he'd nurse
her and care for her just as if he'd been
a sister of charity. You might have
seen then, Miss Hetty, how sailor can
love q woman.
Well, she soon got better and stron-
ger. Jack and the doctor fixed her up
between them, and healthier, livelisr,
happier little woman never set foot in
San Francisco. Jack took her right to
his married sister, and there she stayed
between voyages till she had lot of
and her husband bought her a
house of her own.
What about the coffee ship? Oh,
that made port day before US, and the
old doctor had us all arrested the mo-
mcnt we touched land. So we were all
hauled up in court, and Jack had it out
with his step-father-in-law.
/ think the court was rather against
us first, but the bed-bug poison and the
slap in the face did the business and
turned everything in our favor. He
was afterward declared to be lunatic
and turned over to his brothers for
keeping.
What's become of JACKIE Why, he
sailed with me for several years as first
officer; now he's captain to tho COM
panion steamer to this. That good
looking young fellow that's been max.
ing eyes at you Miss Hetty, is his son !;
and l dare say that he agrees with his
father that sea-sickness makes precious
little difference when mans in love.
The moon is quite up now, flooding
the sea with silver. Between us and
the shimmering mirror intcrposcs tho
head of young Jack, showing in fine
clear.cut silhouette. What wonder that
Hetty has to put severe straint upon
her eyes that they shall not wander in
that direction.
The captain saunters away to do the
agreeable to other passengers, while
Deb straysdown to the deck to listen, at
u little closer quarters, to the tinkle of
a guitar and to soft voice humming a
Spanish love song.
AS she strolls back she finds q mus.
culine form usurping her place, and
peeping under Hetty's downcast lids
are pair of earnest sailor eyes, whose
dawning love and hope no sea can fright
or quell.