The record-union., 1891-08-15

one calm, still night-it was the night
before the ship was TO sail for Spain
Alessandro and Carmencita stood alone
on the beach. She had been freshly
pruned, and the sailors were wranging
with the old crone at the landing.
Listen" said Alessandro. "To-mor-
row we will leave her. She shall prune
you no more. You will be mine ~
All, Alessandror ~ whispered the pas
| sionate girl, won't that be ducks! shall
love you forever"
Presently Alessandro was called away
by one of the men, who said the Captain
| wished to speak with him.
Come this way" said the man. and
! AleSsandro obeyed.
Wait here for me, he whispered as he
left his sweetheart. II shall return to
! you"
| Those We're the last words Alessandro
| ever spoke. The man led him into deep
and dark bdrd1cd, and as he passed the
| Captain skewered him with q dirk. He
fell with plunk to the earth, dead.
Conner Missed the Captain. forgetting
to say Cargo in his excitement, 1--WE
must plant him in the sea-"
The dead body ofAlessando was thrown
| into boat, taken to the ship and lashed
to an anchor. Then the anchor was cut
loose, there was splash and tho fishes
| had lunch.
| Then the Captain went back for Car
mencita, but she was gone!
Carmencita had waited for her lover.
He had said he would return, and he kept
his word. As she stood, exulting over
her good fortune, suddenly Alessandro
| stood before her.
"Fly!'' he said. ely to the hills.
Hide yourself from the Captain He has
stabbed me! l am as dead as door knob!
| Ih1S as nly ghOStt'
Then he vanished, and Carmencita, un-
derstanding him, flew.
The Captain searched for many days,
but in vain. Carmencita had disappeared,
and no aiaount of cdrajOiHg would bring
her to him. AT last he told his men that
the jig was up, and he would sail Just as
| soon as he had enjoyed swim. He then
took oh all his clothes and got down into
the water and swan toward the shore,
with only his head sticking out
Don't tell me there is not a fate which
shapes our ends. Fate had shaped one
end OF the CAPTAIN SO that it looked very
much like the head of huge snake His
fierce mustachios, spreading out in the
water, were absolutely reptilian.
So thought the old crone who was
gathering mint on the bluffs.
Blessed Virgin!'' she exclaimed; {;
there is the sea-serpent! 1t viii be
worth something, I'll bet! Maybe its
SKIN viii bring quotro pesos %
She dropped her mint, ran to her casa,
Se1Zeu an old DlunderDuSS which her
| brother had used to shoot salt into here
tics during the lnquisition, hastily poured
IN pint OF powder, rammed down the
brass poker, primed the gun and tore
back to the bluff.
The Captain was still there, just be-
yond the breakers. The old crone squat
ted down; resting her blunderbuss on
one Knee, took aim, shut her eyes, and
fired.
There was q tarribIe avploCio,, op5 q
great cloud of smoke, from which arose
vast number of fragments. From the
center OF the fragments emerged an awful
shape that careened away toward the
north, revolving with a loud, whizZling
sound as it went, and finally dropped
down behind the hills
1t was the old crone, kicked to her
death by the exploded blunderbuss.
And the Captain?
The Captain was dead, too: dead as
Alessandro; dead as the old crone: dead
as nail, with the brass poker straight
| through his stomach.
Then Carmencita, who bad seen it all
from the hills, waited until the sailors
flshed the Captain out of the water and
sailed away, and then she came down to
the beach to wait for AlessandrO.
Every day and night she waited
waited until she grew old and thin and
bent, wandering up and down by the sad
sea waves. Waited until her great beauty
was gone, and her teeth got loose, but
AlessandrO never came again.
Poor thing!
Then she died, and her last request
was that she should be buried on the
beach or in the sea- But it was unheeded.
Her body was carted away TO the hills
and buried in the canyon aforemen-
toned. A. u. H0FFMAN
Fillmore, Ventura Co., Aug. 10, 1891.