Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-20
BILL MAsoNs SEA NYMPH.
He Makes Her Second Mate of the
Bark Rover.


BALTIMoRE, Dct% 16.-In the "Sailors'
Home," rough seamen's boarding house
on Lower Canton, in the suburbs of this
city, were gathered crowd of salts
the other day who were gazing curi0usly
at a young girl, one OF their number
called Bill Mason had just brought into
the place.
"Keep your weather eye off the lass"
said Bill to one of the other sailors, "for
she belongs to me-"
The girl was the only female in the
dingy, smoke-begrimed room, and she ap-
peared somewhat frightened, though the
excitement served to heighten the color
in her cheeks. She had black, sparkling
eyes, olive complexion and light hair of
the rich golden hue that SO many society
and stage women try in vain to obtain by
the bleaching process. 1t was this con-
trast of light hair with black eyes that
made the girl strangely handsome. She
was below the medium height, petite, but
of well.rounded figure, betOkening the
full development of a Southern climate.
She was out of place In that coarse
crowd.
Bill Mason's craft had just arrived from
the Mediterranean. He had brought the
girl with him. Bill was mate OF the bark
Rover, and he had stopped in one of his
who was not more than IS. followed the
sailor about like child. She could not
speak a word of English and Bill talked
to her in Portuguese.
whats her name ~ repeated Bill to a
companion.
"Well, / really don't know. call her
Bess and she'll have a full name in a
couple of days when she becomes Mrs.
Bill Mason.
ave had been touching at ports on the
Mediterranean" he continued, "and had
started on the return, when one day we
saw signals OF distress from a small craft,
and the second mate and myself put of
in boat to learn what was the matter.
No one but this girl was to be seen, but
on coming up with the craft | learned
from her that her father in the little cabin
was dying, and that she did not know
how to sail the boat. The craft was an
old leaky tub, and could not have lived
in gale two minutes. Her father had
been stricken with paralysis and was
helpless and speechless.
''My shipmate and hauled down the
only sail the craft had and then picked up
the old man and carried him on deck and
to our boat. The girl followed. crying as
though her heart would break"
The sailor said that the old man and his
daughter belonged in Estepona, Spanish
town on the Mediterranean, near the
straits. The girl would not tell much
about her history. Her father had once
been aseafaring man, hut got into some
trOu bic in their native town In Portugal aud
had fled with her to Spain. At Estepcna
they had taken refuge for year or more,
but one day her father came to their home
hurriedly and told her they were discov-
cred and must leave Immediately. Later
on she admitted that her father had killed
man for some old family trouble.
sour captain wanted to land the girl
and her father at some point on the P0rtu-
gal coast" continued Mason, "but the
lass begged hard. The death of the old
man the very night following The day we
picked them up settled the question, and
the lass staid aboard. Well, Pve taken
hiking to her. Pm sure she told me
a straight story, and that she Is innocent
of any crime herself"
Whether the Tpinantlc account the
sailor told is true, lis hokknown. but Ma
son did marry the girl the next day and
then took her to New York