The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-12-26
4 Most Remarkable Series Of lcci-
deMfs---TsWfh Stranger
than Fiction.


Mark Twain relates the following The facts
10 the following case came 10 me by letter from =
young lady who lives In the beautiful city OF San
Josr. She is perfectly unknown 10 me. and simp.
IL signs herself 'Aurelia Maria, which may pos
Sibly be q fictitious name. BIl no matter, the
poor girl is almost hsari.hroken by the misfoF.
iunrs she has undergone. aud 50 confused BY The
conflicting counsels Of misguided friends and In.
sdioas enemies, Iha, she does not know what
course 20 pursue In order 10 exircate herself from
the web Oi difficulties 10 which she is almost hope
lessly Involved. In this dilemma she turns To
me for help, aud supplica,cs Tor my guidance and
Instruction With moving cloguenec that would
touch the hrari OF n statue. Hear her sad story
She says that when she was sixitcn Years old
she first met aud loved, with all The devotion Of
a passionate nature, young man from New Jcr-
sry, nAmrd Williamson Breckenridge CaruihcFs,
who was Only sx yeats her senior. They were
engaged, With the Tree consent ~ their friends
aud FrlaiiSrE, and for time Il sccmed ~ " their
career Was destined 10 be- characterized by m i'm.
puniiy irom sorrow beyond the usual lot OF hu.
nlanity. Hut at last the tide u fortune turned,
young Carnlhvrs became infected with the small
pox OF the m"si virulrnt iyle, md when he Te-
covered from his illness his face WIS Iiilrd like
y waiilr mould aud his cumeliness gone forever.
AnTriis thought To break oi the engagement ~
fret. hut pi'. ior her unfortunate lover caused
hrr To postpone the marriage for n s,asun, aud
give him anuiis trial.
The very day before the Wedding was iu have
taken plarC. nrckrufidgr, while a,sorlst ~
watching the flight oia balloon, walked into
~ril and fractured one Of his legs. and II hal 10
b. taken 20 above the Anrr Again Autvlia Nas
moved io brak the engagement, bu, again low
uiumphrd, aud ,hr set ihr day forward snd gave
him anoih'i chancr iu reform.
Aud again misfortune overlook the uuhsppt
youth llr lost one arm by the premature dis
ch-rgc ~ Fourth OF Juiy rannon. and within
ihuc months got the oilier pull,d out b, 4 card
ing machinr Aurrlia . heart was aimo.i cTus''.
rd b, thr,- Latter calamiii's She could not tut
he drei,lt gtiev-d io ste her hover passing from
her b, PirceinrHl, feeling, ~ sh- did. ihai be-
could not last forever under this disasirnrs Iro-
tess Ui reduction, yet knowing o' no WAY iO stop
its dread VI cATrrf aud 10 her dtspAit she almost
regretted. like brokers Who hold un aud lose
that she had not taken him At first he'ofc be- had
suffered suth an alarming depreciation. Siiil,
her bravery bore up, aud she Trsclted 10 LeaT
With her iri-nd unnatural Disposition yet a IT.
tie longer.
again the wedding ia, approached, aud again
DISAPPOINTMENT over shadoNVd u tstathvfs
hll III wiihrrysi and usi the oi one ~ his
eSts entirely The friends anl relatives 81 TIE
bride considering that she had alieady pUi up with
more than rould be reasonably expected ui Lcr.
now came forward and insisted that The match
should be- broken 90 but after watcfing ,V hie
Aurelia. with that noble aud gentious siitii
which did her credit, said that size Lad reflected
calmly on the matter and could not discover that
Breckenridge Mas 10 blame
80 she extended the time once uoic aud BE-
btoks his other leg,
II vas a sad day fOt the POOR Girl wh,u .lc
saw the surgeons fevcTrnily BEARING away the
ssck ~huse usss she had learned 10y pny.ous "a.
VeFiener aud her heart tod her the bitter truth
that some more Ol her lover had 9 ne. She ieli
~ 81 A
aud more CifcUnsCIibed every DAY, bui once
more she frowncd down hcr relatives md nnew.
Cd her bciruihAl
Shortly before the time set fOI the nupiial. al.
other disaster occurred There was but One man
suapsd by the OweE River Indians last year
TIA, msn ~As Williamson Breckenridge Caru.
theirs. Of NeS jersey. lie was hgIfj iug home
with happinsss 10 his beari when b. losi III. hair
forever, and in that hour Of bitterness he almost
cursed he mistaken mere, iha, had spared bis
head
Al last Agftla - ~ serious IsgplcNi'y - tu
what she ough, 10 do She still loves bcr Brcck.
enfit gr. she STiiss. With true wOmanly icvling--
still love- what i lo'i Oi him-hut hei parents
are bitterly opposed {" tue match, Lscauss he has
10 property aud Is disabled from working. aud
she has not sufficient means 70 support both CON.
fofiabli Nov what shall do ''' she ak.
With palnful aud anxious solieiiude.
II Is n delicate question IL is one which IN
wolves the lifelong happiness Of woulau. aud
that of nearly iwo.ihirds of a man, aud feel
that II would he assuming too grea,a fcspunsi.
biliiy 10 do mote than make mesc suggestion
in the eAsr Hos would 1t DO 10 build a. him
II Aufsa can Afford hetxpense, l,t hef furnish
her mutilatd lover With wooden rgs .ud glass
eye aud Sis. and give him another show give
bin, 80 day- without grace. aud Il We doe not
break his neck 10 The uleantme. marry him and
take the chances. II dose not sccm 10 me iha,
there is much risk, any way, AuTsiia, because II
he sticks 10 his propensity for damaging himself
every time he secs good opportunity, his neat
experiment Is bound 10 finish him aud then yol
are all right, you know, married ~ single
l. married. the wooden legs aud such other
vagablrS - he may possess, revert 20 the widow,
aud yOu SEE you sustain no actual loss save the
cherished fragment o. noble bat most unforiu.
nate husband, Who konesily sirived to do right
bu, whose extraordinary insiinsts we're against
him. Try il, Maria. ! have thought the matter
over carefully aud wei, IL Is the only chance
zee for you. u would have been a happy conceii
on the part Of CAfvthrfs " he bad started With
bis neck aud broken liia' first hut siDce be has
seen III 10 choose a different policy aud string
himself out Ne long ~ possible. do not think We
ought TO upbraid him for Il II he liked H. We
must do the besi we can under the circumstances
aud try not 10 feel exasperated Ai him.
T... 4 L..