South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-08-25

ado you mean to say, sir" demanded
Charlie, who sat with Mabel's little tTem-
bling hand in his, "that you have evolved
the law which regulates the time, place,
and circumstances, of the death of every
human being?"
at is precisely that" replied DR.. Pc
chal, charmed at being so well understood.
"Were the room not so dark, sir, would
ask you to look over my little book. All
is explained there"
The doctor, calling late in the evening,
had come upon Mabel and Charlie Caleph
sitting together in the dusk; and, being a
somewhat abrupt gentleman, he had en-
tered upon his business at once, without
waiting even for candles.
"But how do you know your law is
true?" asked Mabel, deiantly.
"Is it not then logical?" said the doc.
tor. "The insurance companies have gone
so far as to establish the average age at
which death comes: if q man die here az
sixty, somewhere must die a boy of twelve
that the balance may be preserved. Is it
probable that this balance should relate TO
age alone? Is there not also the balance
ofOne sex against the other, of light againsl
dark, of nation against nation, of temper
ament against temperament? Not even
here can we draw the line; the farther we
search the more the conditions that arise: :
no trait, however subtle; no feature, how
ever insignifcant-bu bears directly, how
ever lightly, upon mans destiny. What
could be more clear, more inevitable?"
Charlie and Mabel were silent; a strange
chill seemed creeping around their hearts.
The doctors voice, all apparently remain
ing of him in the darkened room, sounded
solemn and mysterious as he gave
utterance to the thoughts which
he had been all his life revolving. Wholly
bound up in the contemplation of his aw-
ful theory, his words were not without an
impressiveness even more powerful than
ordinary elOquence.
at is indeed strange" resumed he,
" that mankind, continually prying after
the mysteries of science and the laws of
life, should never have set themselves to
learn the most important and yet the
simplest law which tells them when they
are 10 die, and who shall die with them.
For no man dies alone There is a mys-
terious chain, formed of iunumerable and
invisible links, binding his life to that of
others, be their number more or less. He
is one of group; and the breaking of
that one chain is the dissolution of their
common life"
"Can nothing hinder this law-if it be
a law?" demanded Charlie.
at is seldom possible" replied the
doctor "The only safety lies in mar
Tiage, which constitutes a new condition
of things-annulling the old. But it must
be no ordinary marriage. To be efficacious,
the most exacting conditions have to be
fulfilled. OF the many, it is only needful
l should mention two: the husband and
wife must belong to the same group, and
their names must be composed of the same
letters, differently arranged. And this"
added the doctor, bears upon my errand
to night"
Mabel shuddered, and drew nearer to
Charlie, who passed his arm around her
waist. DR.. Pechal proceeded:
Il have discovered, by the most exhaus-
tive calculations, that before this hour to-
morrow my death, and that of all my
group, is destined to take place. My cal
culations also showed that one at least of
the group must be resident of this city
L knew there were but three besides my
self: one, whom l was personally ac.
quainted with"-the doctor cleared his
throat" was not to be thought of, though
she once might have saved us all; of the
two others remaining, one knew to be
woman, and, trusting she might be the
New Yorker, came here to seek her, ard
in the person of this young lady have
found her. She is a member of my group;
and she, as her name proclaims her, is
destined to save us both by uniting her
destiny to mine. Analyze our names
you find them literally Identical; and for
the rest the proofs are easy and ire
Here the doctor paused, and, holding
out one Of his fat hands, seemed duskily
TO summon Mabel from her lovers side.
Charlie groaned, and removed his arm
from her waist; but hers was around his
neck in an instant, and her voice was clear
and firm: J