The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-09-22
A STRANGE STORY.

1t was in the autumn of the year It's
that surgeon in Boulogne of the nam
Etienne Lefebvre received a letter, no
bearing any signature, requesting him
repair on the following day to countr
3 house which was situated on the roa
leading to Calais, and to bring alon
such instruments as would be required
for performing an operation.
Next morning, sure enough, on tn
stroke of nine, a carriage drove up t.
his door, The doctor made no hesita
ton, but at once took his seat in the car
riage. AS he was getting in he inquired
of the coachman where he was to b.
taken to; but the man appeared not t.
know or did not choose to tell but, a
he spoke in English, Lefebvre said t.
: himself, $50 it is an Engiishman tt
whom am summoned" and he accord
ingly prepared himself for an exhibition
of eccentricity on the part of one of that
nation which even now is so little under
stood by continentals. At length the
carriage stopped, and the doctor hastened
into the house.
He was received at the entrance by q
fine looking young man of about twenty
five years of age, who requested him to
walk into large and handsome room on
the first floor. His accent showed him
to be an Englishman, and he said:
" Monsieur Lefebvre, pray be seated.
1 have entire confidence in you only
listen to me. Here is purse containing
one hundred guineas, which offer you as
a fee for the operation you are asked to
perform, no matter what the result may
| ho In Of ,NlI
with my request you see this pistol 1t
is loaded and you are in my power. AS
| l hope for salvation, | will blow your
brains out?'
"Sir, am not to be deferred from do
ing what l consider proper by any fear
| of your pistol. But what do you desire
What am l expected to do ~
"You must cut my right leg off,
With all my heart" answered the
surgeon, thinking that this was a char
acteristic specimen of those mad English;
"and your hand, also, il necessary or de.
sirable However, unless / am greatly
mistaken your leg is perfectly sound. [
saw you walk down stairs with the
greatest activity. What can be the mat
ter with your leg?'
Nothing; but it most come Off"
Well, NJ. Lefebvre," replied the
Englishman, taking up the pistol, " 1
will not fire upon you, and yet l will
compel you to cut off this leg. What
you refuse to do to Oblige me, through
love of gain or fear of a bullet, you shall
do through humanity"
How so, sir ?'
a intend to shatter my leg with this
pistol, and that, too, before your eyes,"
answered the Englishman. who accord
ingly seated himself, cooked the pistol,
and then took deliberate aim at his knee
joint.
Leiebvre rushed forward to prevent
him, but the Englishman coolly ex-
claimed:
"Do not come near; if you do, I fire.
Now coolly answer me this question:
Do you wish to prOlong my suffering
needlessly ?"
Sir, you are mad,' answered the doc
tor in despair; 'but have your own
way-I am ready to do as you wish"
Everything was ready for the opera
tiOn. AS soon as the doctor took up his
instruments, the Englishman lighted his
cigar, and declared he would smoke until
the operation was conclued. He kept
his word. The liteless leg rested upon
the floor, but the Englishman still smok-
ed on. The operation had been per-
formed in a most mastery manner, and,
thanks to DR.. Lefebvre's skill and atten-
ton, the patient soon became perfectly
recovered, although, of course, he had
10 be supplied with a wooden leg. He
rewardsd the surgeon, whom he had
learned to esteem mere and more every
day, thanked him with tears in his eyes
for the great obligation under which he
had laid him, and in a short time started
for England.
About two months after his patients
departure the surgeon received the fol-
lowing letter from England:
Enclosed you will receive token of
my boundless gratitude-a bill of ex.
change on my banker in Paris for
$500 francs. You have rendered me
the happiest of men by ridding me
of a limb which was an obstacle in
the way of my happiness. Learn then
the reason of what you termed my mad
ness. You assured me that there could
be no justifable motive for so singular a
mutilation. | offered you a wager, and l
think you were right in refusing it. AT
ter my second return from the East Indies,
| became acquainted with Susan Black,
the most accomplished and facinating of
women. | sought her hand in mar
riage. Her fortune and family were such
as met with the entire appreciation of
my parents. As for me, l thought only
of her charms. l was happy enough to
gain her affections-a fact which she did
not attempt to deny; butshe at the same
time firmly refused to become my wife.
In vain did | beseech her to do so; In
vain did her relations all second my de-
sire. She was inhexible. For long
time | could not discover the reason of
her opposition to marriage which she
herself confessed would make her happy,
until at last one of her sisters revealed Ale
fatal secret to me. Susan was a marvel
of beauty, but she was so unfortunate as
to have lost leg, and she had conse-
quently condemned herself to eternal
celibacy. My resolution was quickly
formed, and | determined be to like her
Thanks to you, my dear Lefebvre, my
wishes were soon accomplished. | re-
turned with my wooden leg to London.
| fastened to gain information of Miss
Black. The report had been spread, and
| myself had taken care to write to nv
friends in England to the same effect, that
had had the misfortune to fracture my
leg, and that amputation had been found
absolutely necessary. Every one ex-
pressed the greatest concern at may mis-
fortune. Susan tainted on the first occa-
sion of my presenting myself She was
for a long time inconsolable, but at
length she consented to become my
wife. 1t was only on the morn
ing after our marriage that | con-
| fessed TO her the sacrifice by means
of which had at length been enabled to
gain her consent to be mine. The avowal
| increased her love. Oh! my excellent
friend, had ten legs to lose 1 would give
them all up for the sake of my beloved