Litchfield enquirer., 1861-08-22
nltsrellallD.
I ATTEND A CLAM-BAKE.

My wife has gone to visit her mother.
 am happy to be able to state that the chil- dren accompanied her. Peace, quietness and felicity reign in my dwelling. I come and go uaqucstioned. I stay out late nights without fear of rehuke. lie abed of mornings, and no one insists on my getting up. My friends pass the evening with me, and there be none that tell me the next day that the window curtains are filled with tobacco-smoke. and the parlor has the fragrance of bar-room. If two or three friends come home to dine with me, the cook never asks me why I brought them, nor con- plains of a headache. What is more she docs not insist upon having new silk dress every week, nor burst into tears if I utter crude or naughty words. The fact is, if there be one thing like more than another, it is to have my wife visit her mother.
 take advantage of my wife's absence to re- new the acquaintance of the young ladies whom met at the balls and hops l attended last win ter when my wife thought business kept me down town. Several of these interesting young ladies have had the pleasure of escorting to various places of amusement the past week.
 havlng resolved to enjoy myself during my wltes absence, 1 have determined to leave no legitimate source of pleasure untried. In pur. suance of this plan I visited the " Nestledown' -the name of friends vila-on Long Island. went there, supposing that my friends wife and daughters were alone, and that he was vis- i'ins the camp around Washington. He re- turned from there the very day went to Nes- tiedoTn: After all it was as well, perhaps that ne did, for th!s stopping into the bosom of a man famliy m his absence may not be just the thing: wonder if anybody will pay particular attention to my Wife while she is with her moth- CT! was very cordially received at Nestle. down, and dined on broiled spring chicken and fresh green peas. Now if there be one thing l like more than another, it is dinner of this kind.
 In the evening we drove to Little Neck. on the North Side of the Island, and had a clam bake. l think clam-bake is an excellent in- stltutlon. In my opinion, it is better than tnrtlesoup feast or chowder party. In olden tmes When mustaches were not worn. turtle soup ana clam or cod-chowder were not bad to ,aie Out in these days they have objectionable .,os. snnile the clans were being baked, the Nes- AIuthUwnlans AIth and myself took a row on the bay. ough n;ad our party was not large, yet we occu- rs1 .oS too skiffs forgot to say that we enga- sSa astnguished artist to accompany us for Sa1 tne purpose DO of making sketch of the clam m;m;.,o m: ane picture he painted is pleasing re- correct idea of clam-bake, ' 1t IS very delightful to float on still waters il, pretty skitfs, when the full moon, just risino sheds silvery light around, and the red blaza, of fire fiickers fantastically through the leafy trees, and the air is mild and the night enchant ing. The young ladies, seated in the stern of the boat, enjoyed this thing amazingly; but nei ther the artist nor myself, who blistered oul hands in rowing. appreciated it as they did. confess enjoyed eating the clans more than did any thing else. My knowledge of clans i: quite limited, but my powers of observation are keen. noticed that MT. Nestledown selected only the small clans for his own plate, and kep pushing the large ones towards mine. Iregard ed this as extremely kind and polite in him, ant lest he should rob himself of all the fine larg, ones, placed two or three of them upon his plate. But he courteously put them aside. as i they were better than he deserved. Inow thinl