Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1874-08-08

about to make your first voyage as
master, and to take charge of lady
passenger. Now mark my words ;
she will set her cap at you. i don't
mean to say that she isn't about as
pretty as they make 'em, but, my
son, keep. your weather eye open,
or she'll fool you! God bless you,
Iad--good- 10y" !"
Then with last warning shake
of the head and tender grasp, my
worthy father quilted the ship.
In another hour we were running
before a fresh breeze, and my pas
senger was-invisiOle.
Two days passed, on the third the
stewardess informed me, "De lady
passenger wants to see you,captain."
| told the gorgeous female, who
was dressed in a bright pink muslin
gown trimmed with blue, that /
would be at The lady's service in a
few moments, and then prepared
myself for the encounter. My pas
senger was sitting upon the sofa,
and at the first glance all my reso-
lutions vanished. / felt inclined to
throw myself at her feet, and uake
a complete idiot of myself in action
as well as thought; but l didn't do
it.
Good morning, Miss Bell"
"Good morning, captain" reach
ing out her pretty little hand, and
eXhibiting-oh such perfect arm.
am afraid that | seemed rather
sheepish. l know I felt so, and be-
gan to look off the stern port. The
lady was quite cool, and went on
with her embroidery in the most
persevering manner. AT last STAN
mered out,
"Arc you quite well now. Miss
Bell p
ooh, dear me, yes, captain but
] have one favor to beg of you-
please don't call me Hiss Bell all
my friends call me Clara, and as
you are to be my guardian until we
reach Porto Rico, we may as well
be friends from the first. You will
kindly not call me missw
All, | thought, you are setting
your cap at me, just as my father
predicted but then she did it so
naively, and 1 felt so flattered, that
l threw paternal advice to the winds
and, figuratively speaking, stepped
past "the point of caution" and
was tlonndering among the "rapids"
ere / knew where | was. Before
dinner time l was-gone.
"For whom are you making that
ornament, Miss - pardon me, -
Clara ?" L respectfully inquired,
glancing toward a sort of band she
was embroidering.
''For my Jack, captain"
Chow old is he 2" | insinuated.
"Oh, dear Jack says that he's
quite a puppy yet" she replied.
Giles Porto Rico poodle ~
"Ohw I gasped, beginning to
conjure up a rival-"a dog"
eyes, captain but why did you
inquire in so grave a manner 2"
The words were on my lips,"Clara
-" but fancying that detected
slight tinge of sarcasm in her voice,
l merely replied, "Oh, l didn't mean
any thing"
:'T'm glad of that" answered the
lady, "because l want you to under
stand me-"
She fixed her glorious eyes upon
me as she spoke, and-1 felt worse
than ever. saw it all at q glance:
sent to New York in order to finish
her education been cooped up in a
genteel seminary; no cOngeuial so.
ciety vacations spent with old
Bell, who was probably her uncle /;
now I-freedom-gallant sailor, etc.
/ soon got through the "rapids,"
and on the fourteenth day went
"clean over the falls.
She told me all about her family
her father and mother, brother
Jack, cousin Jack, dear Jack, and
my Jack and quite understood
why she had named her poodle
Jack; but in our delicious game of
whist Irritation 1 cared little about
her playing four knaves, as L
thought that | held the rest of the
honors, including the queen of
hearts. l did not play euchre in
those days.
Jack did this-drOve her here
wrote her all the news-was perfect
ly frantic because she could not re-
turn sooner had the distemper-