Litchfield enquirer., 1878-04-25
WHY JACK WENT TO EUROPE.
HOW HE WENT.

 fine afternoon in October, and watched the shore of Long Island grow indistinct on the horizon.
 It was their first trip to the Old World i They had made all the regulation promises as 1 to letters, remembrances, and errands had said '.farewelp' with all the various modifica tions of voice which each occasion demanded; and had dutfnlly listened to the parting words of Mir. Hall, delivered in his most imposing manner. Jack, intrust everything to you use your best judgment and discretion untl can join you. Clara my dear, be good glr and do nothing wild or foolish !; above all, he added, lowering his voice to her, ''do not al low yourself to form any silly fancies for these foreign counts or barons most of them are lit tie better than adventures and it could only render you, and us miserable. There! good bye, good bye, and God bless you both !" Witt | that he had kissed Clara, shaken hands with Jack, and disappeared over the side with 6 last wave of the hand. Then the whistle blew, the steamer moved out of the river, and Clara and Jack got over the bangs of separation ai quickly as they could. At the time we Tlrs flake their acquaintance they had succeeded so well in disguising their feelings that you would have been very apt to imagine at first they were in comparatively good spirits. | The officer of tine watch smiled to himself ! very good-looking couple. So they were. Tc be sure Clara's face was not regularly beau tiful one: but nobody with such great dark eyes and delicate complexion as she had will 1 ever go far for admirers vHer heavy mass oi dead lustre hair, matching her eyes in color, was another eviable feature but her figure was her greatest attraction; it was little above the medium siZe and probably neither the Old World nor the New could produce its superior for grace and symmetry 1 1 have always thought, however, that much as there was in Clara to fascinate the admira- tion, it was her unconsciousness and simplicity which opened all hearts to her. Impulsive and | passionate and romantic she was ; but she was wholly free from all the paltry affectations of 1 spoiled beauties in general. It must, indeed, 1 be confessed that this may have been chiefly | owing to the fact that she never had been in the way of being spoiled. and not to any in- herent strength of character on Clara's part, for with the exception of the youth who sat beside her, she had seen but little of men and manners outside of the works of fiction which she had succeeded in purloining and felonious- ly perusing.
 The youth in question, sitting astride of the camp-stool, his chin cushioned by his arms, on the railing, and superlative Cabana in his mouth was very fnespecimen of young
 
 curling hair and frank blue eyes which it was joy to behold. The reader, gifted with pro- found insight into human nature, would in- stantly have pronounced their owner to be a straightforward, efficient and eminently good natured young fellow-in which opinion every body else would have coincided. He was such good fellow, as a general thing, that we shouldn't be too hard on him if he should happen to lose his temper before the end of the story.
 And now it is quite time toallay the right eous indignation which it would be our duty feel were two young people such as have been described allowed to cross the ocean together with no other protection against the assaults or. But let us be appeased On no such finn sy pillars does their veal depend. The neces- sary element was at hand, though for the mo- ment invisible, owing to revolt of its internal economy against the undue familiarity of Nep- tune In short, the excellent Mrs. Hall was very seasick, and could not leave her state- room. We are prevented therefore from ma- king her nearer acquaintance at present but inasmuch as we don't need her just now for any purposes connected with the development of the story, and since furthermore, she wont be of much consequence anyway, except to keep up the proprieties we will content our 
 washed-out, mild-mannered and weak-kneed old party whom nobody disliked and every body forgot as soon as she was out of sight, and pass on. What are Clara and Jack talking about?
 The officer of the watch probably thought they were making love, for he kept down at the further end of the deck, and made believe not to notice them. But I don't think they would have been much put out if he had. They had known each other all their lives and had never had long separation or serious disagreement and however much people may be in love, they are not apt to find it out un- der such circumstances. Clara called Jack cousin" but it was merely nom de guerre he was not even one of those distant removes who have all the fun and none of the disad- vantages of nearer relations. He was the only son of Mr. Halls oldest friend, who, dying when Jack was three or four years old, had bequeathed him to Mr. Hall. He and Clara had grown up as brother and sister. AS to their falling in love with and marrying each other, it was a matter which, at any rate, had never been considered up to the present time.
 "Jack, inquired Clara, as the last vestige of America became invisible in the dazzle of the retiring sun, ''are all noblemen wicked ad- venturers ?" .....s-
 The intrinsic pecularity of the question, no
  ing the loss overheard of Jacks Cabana. Hav- ingassured himself of its safety he replied, with laugh,
 ''Bless your heart, no !! What a deuced queer question l always supposed they were a very jolly set of fellows"
 Mice for me to be acquainted with ?" pur- suued Clara, indifferently.
 "Why, of course," affirmed the unsuspect- ing Jack. Just the kind. Why ?"
 "Oh nothlng," replied Clara, carelessly. 'I only wanted your opinion, that's all."
 A silence. Jacks Cabana finally went out, as any cigar, suffering from persistent neglect will
 ''I say '" observed he to himself at last, 'supposing she should fall in love with one of them, though! l couldn't stand that, you know, bv love ?"
 ''Im gladhe don't think they're horrid," so- liloquized Clara, because if 1 should become acquainted with baron or something, and he were to-" The wind carried away the rest, and Clara sat staring after it with wide-open eyes.
 Do you know, Clara, " said Jack, suddenly, glancing over to where the officer ofthe watch still continued to walk his beat with undimin- ished abstraction, ''I believe that old fellow thinks we are in love-"
 'Jack :" exclaimed Clara, with dramatic intonation, ''what an absurd idea He mnst be an old goose, then"
 Jack made no reply, but regarded his ex- tinguished cigar for g few moments with a very dejected expression, and then threw it overheard with an air of determination. ''Fool not to have thought of it before p muttered he ''but I'll take better care here after"
 Il wish you'd give it up altogether, Jack, 3 said Clara.
 MY T ! --.al- start.
 Smoking, of course"
 ''Oh '" said Jack
 Whatever may have been the meaning of his ambiguous remark, Clara's interpretation | was evidently not the correctone. H.-wHAT HE DID. Porpoises, aniceberg, 1e-board, a storm, steamer on the horizon, and land at last Everybody knows, either from experience ol recital, what a trip across the Atlantic amounts