Connecticut western news., 1871-08-18
CARRIED AWAY BY THE CURRENT.

If you will believe it, am engaged; no nonsense, but really, truly, and positively engaged to be married and between our selves, am not quite sure like it. It is not Clara's fault; she is fine girl, and 1 am proud to think she has accepted me and if we would be married at once it would be all right, I suppose. But there is profession to be settled upon, and get fixed in; for, though I shall inherit little. property when come of age, my guardian says that it will not be sufficient without some addition, and by the time am ready to keep wife Clara will be so much older. Besides all, which, now that the novelty has worn off, and I am able to thlnk se- riously about the matter, am not so sure that I want to be married at all not till I am quite an elderly man-that is to say, thirty or so. It is not that am unro- mantle; on the contrary think romance is capital-in book but in real life TO- nance does not look 50 romantic, after the first; at least, so it seems to me. '&' --
 went to stay with Aunt Bonwick, at Carfax. rising watering place on the Yorkshire coast, last summer. Aunt Bon wick is gay old lady, and cannot .bear, to be without plenty of people about her, so she lives principally at boarding houses, and it was at Carleton Mansion that I visited her.. l1i ..-..:a.;s,:. 5o <4.=4.z a4
 I liked it; the feeding was very good, better than what you get in lodgings, where one has to dine so often off cold meat or hash; and the people were great fun. Each was so anxious to let the rest know that he or she was swell, or con. nected with a swell some of them made little speeches about themselves and theil belongings, quite like the heroes in Homer q am so-and-so, the son of so-and-so.' But still the bow was not always beat and we were social enough at times. We played at Pope Joan for counters, at three pence dozen, and one old lady would no1 cut in because she thought intrigue between the queen and kraye not only improper but savoring of democratic scandal. St we changed the game to v6ngt-et-wn t. please her, and will take an affidavit tha she cheated.
 Clara was staying at the boarding -hous all by herself She lived with two eide sisters generally, but they had shindy and she thought it better to leave then for a while. I had always been terribl, shy and uncomfortable with ladies, bu she came and talked to inc, and set me a ease the first evening. She told me abou her sisters, and asked my advice. It wa the first time any one had treated me s decidedly as a man, and no doubt sh thought me older than was; for wa six feet high, and had undoubted whiskers for as my hair is black they showed. 0 course she was good deal my senior, o she would not be allowed to go about tn world alone like that; but she, was tn pleasantest girl had ever met, and we 20 on together capitally. We spent the morn ings on the beacd, sat next each other a dinner, went partners at cards. Whe you are with most people, you know, 70 are at loss sometimes what to say mex We'll, we never felt that however lon we were at it, our conversation did nc flag. suppose that may have been part because we talked so much about ourselve but the result was that liked her societ uncommonly, and when she firted wit an old half-pay officer, who had dyed, n' for his country, but for his vanity,
 Ionged to punch his painted head.
 Aunt Bonwick quizzed me, and told n to mind what was about; that boardin houses were terrible places for man-traI and might get snapped up before l W aware. replied there was no danger, I was sure that Clara would not have tin if asked her. -.,ai- '-i.'. 1 .si1 =.
 Every good" replied my aunt; I" b for gracious sake, my dear George, dor put it to the proof p'
 Aunt Bonwick's head was always ru