Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-12-09
AuFel1ass U-pfevswnase Veu.w
Man.
BY MARK TWAIN.


By MARK TWAIN.
The facts in the following case come 10
me BY letter from young lady who lives
In the beautiful city Of San Joes, Cal; she
70 psrfscuy unkno~n 70 me, and simply
Signs hsrseh "Aurelia Maria" which may
possibly be 6ctious name. But no mat
YER, sns DOR girl Is almost heart broken BY
Tue misiortanes che hss undergone, and, 80
confused BY the conflicting counssls Of mis-
guided friends and insidieus enemies, that
she does not know what course 20 pursue
In order TO sxtricass herself from the web
si dfiicnlties in which she 10 almost hope
isssly involved. In this dilemma che turrs
10 me for help, and duplicates for my GU
dance aud Instruction with moving clio
quence that would tssch he heart Of stat
us. Hear her sad stesy:
She says that uhoo she ga 10 years old
che met end loved, With I'll he devotion d
. paMisnais nature, . young man from
New jersey, named Williaoson Broken
ridge Csrutbsss, whs We only sig years
her senior. They wsrs engaged with the
aud Ter time IL seemed asif their career
~as destined u be characterized by IN i'm.
@unisy from sorrow bsyosd the usual lot
o: humanity. Bot II last the tide Of for
tune young Caruthcrs become infected
~ith small.pox Of the mos. virulsnt type,
and when he recovered from his illness, hi.
face was ptted like . va III /, mould and his
comelnsss gone forever. Aurelis thought
70 freak eli the engagement at FIRST, but
pity for her unfortunate lover caused her
10 postpone tho marriage day for seasen,
and gave him another trial.
Tho very day before the wedding was to
have taken place, Brsckinridge, while alb
| sorbed in watching the flight Of = balloon,
walked into we'll and frac sursd one Of his
ess. end il had 10 bs taken oil above his
knee. Again Aurslia Was msvsd to break
the engagement, but again lsve sriumphsd,
| and she set the day forward and gave him
another chance to reform.
Aud again misfortune ovsrteek the ~.
happy ysu,h. He lost one arm BY the pre-
| mature dischssgs Of . Fourth Of July can.
non, and W,thia three 0onths got the ether
pulled cut By . card,ng machine. Aursiia's
nssrt was Almost crushed By these latter
cslanitiss. She could net but be deeply
gri. - ses her lsv,s passing from her by
pee meal. feeling, - she did. that ne could
not lest forever under such disastrous
'rsesss Of red uesion,, u kno wing Of no way
70 stop its dreadful cafser. and IN her dis>
pair sue almost regretted. like brokers Who
hold on and lose, that che had not taken
MIN At 6rst, before he had ,Gsrsd such an
alarming depreciation. Sull. she bravery
bore her up, and she resolved to bear with
nev friends unnatural disposition yet lii.
tIs longer.
Again the wedding day approached, and
/ gain disappointment ovsrshadowed II
| carsthsrs fell IL with the erysipslas. ana
| last the use Of one of Ills eyes entirely.
The fiisn 10 and vela'i Of the bride. c.,..
/ ,idsring that she had already put up with
mere than could reasonably be expected sI
as,, now came forward aud insisted tina,
that the match should b. broken up; bu,
| after watering awhile, Aurelis, with tha,
| aoble and generous spirit, which did her
credit. said she had reelected calmly on ths
ma ter, aud could not discover that Brock
,nridge Was to b,aae.
So she sxtende the time once more. and
20 broke his other leg.
1t waSa sad Gay Tor tho poor girl when
she saw the surgeons reverentiv bearing
way the sack, whose use che had cai ed
~ pi svious experience, add her heart told
nsr the litter truth that some more Of hei
tover ha gone. She feel, that the field oil
ner sffsctIon was grosing more and NOR.
ctrcnmsciibsd every day, but once NOR,
he frowped down her relatives and renew
| ed her bettothel.
Shortly b fore the time set for the nup.
iials another disaster occurred. There was
nut ono man scalped BY tho Oven Rive,
lnd,ars last year. That man was William
syn Breckenridge Cavuthe,s, Of New
jersey. lie was hurr,ing home with hap
pinsss in his heat, when no lost bis hal
forever. and in that hour Of bitterness. h,
| almost cursed the mistaken me rcy that had
spared his head.
A. last Aursiia 10 in . serious perplexiiy
a, = what abe ought to do She st,II love
Ter Breckenridge, she writes, with true
wemanly feeling -she stili loves what is
eft Of him--but her parents are bitterly
/ opposed to the match, because he has NJ
| property, and is dis .bled from working
mi she has not sufficient means to support
Doth csmfo,t ably. "New what shall sha
i,i' she asks with painful and anxious
solicitude.
| II isA delicate question /; it 10 one which
involves the life long happiness ofa womap,
aud tha. Of nearly two thirds Of . man and
| issl that it would he assuming too great 4
responsibility to do more than make q
mere sug ssstion in the case. How Won
it do to build to himf IL Aurslia csr
afford the expense, let her furnish her mu
ulated lover with wooden arms and wooden
legs, and n glass eye and a wig. and give
him another show give him ninety Gays
without grace. aud il he does sot break h,s
eek ia the meant me, marry him and tax .
the chances 1t does not seem to me iha,
here is much risk, any way. AurslIa,
he ,suss if he sticks to his propensity fcf
iamasing himself every time he secs Z
good opportunity, his nsxt experiment 10
bound to finish aim. and then yen ere oil
right, you know. married or single.
IL married, the wooden lsgs and such
ether valuablss - he may possess, revsr,
10 the widow. and ysu sss y.u sustain ne
actual less ssvo the ehesishe1 fragment Of Z
sobls bat msss unfortunate husband, who
honestly streve y d right, but VII, ss q,
sraerdinary instincts were against him. Try
It, Maria have thought The matter
over easssully and we'll. and il 10 the only
chan. see for yeu. II would havs beer
happy csoeen On - part Of Osru, hers il
ne had started VITA his neck and broks
hat drst but since he has seen dt 70
.heess . d GSsant psliey, nd striog hin
ssif cut - long - possible. do not think
- ought 20 upbrsid him for il il he enjoy Cd
IT. We muat A 4, the = 4 - - IN ,,pd., n.