Year: 1869

AURELIA s UNF0RTUNATE YOUNG MAN.


The facts in the following case came to me by
letter from young lady who lives in the beauti-
full city of San Jose. She is perfectly unknown
to me, and simply signs herself "Aurelia Maria"
which may possibly be fictitious name. But
no matter, the poor girl is almost heart broken
by the conflicting counsels of misguided friends
and lnsidious enemies, that she does not know
what course to pursue in order to extricate her
self from the web of difficulties in which she is
almost hopeessly involved. In this dilemma
she turns to me for help, and supplicates for my
guidance and instruction with moving elo-
quence that would touch the heart of q statue
Hear her sad story:


She says that when she was sixteen years old
she first met and loved, with all the devotion of
passionate nature, young man from New
Jersey, named William Breckenridge Caruthers,
who was only six years her senior They were
engaged with the free consent of their friends
and relatives, and for time it seemed if their
career was destined to be. characterized by an
immunity from sorrow beyond the usual lot of
humanity. But at last the tide of fortune
turned; young Caruthers became infected with
the small pox of the most virufent type, and
when he recovered from his illness his face was
pitted like waffle mould and his comeliness
gone forever. Aureia thought to break off the
engagement at first, but pity for her unfortunate
lover caused her to postpone the marriage for a
season, and give him another trial.


The very day before the wedding was to have
taken place, Breckenridge, while absorbed in
watching the flight of a balloon, walked into
well and fractured one of his legs, and it had to
be taken off above the knee. Again Aurela was
moved to break the engagement, but again
love trumphed, and she set the day forward and
gave him another chance to reform


And again another unfortunate accident over
took the unhappy youth. He lost one arm by
the premature discharge of fourth of July can
non, and within three months got the other
pulled out by a earding machine. Aureia's
heart was almost crushed by these latter calami-
ties. She could not but be deeply grieved to
see her lover passing from her by pecemeal,
feeling she did, that he could not last forever
under this disastrous process of reduction, yet
knowing Of no way to stop its dreadful career,
and in her despair she almost regretted, like
brokers who hold on to lose, that she bad not
taken him at first, before he had suffered such
an alarming depreciation. Still, her bravery
bore her up, and she resolved to bear with her
friends unnatural disposition yet little longer.


Again the wedding day approached, and again
disappointment overshadowed it Caruthers fell
ill with the erysipelas and lost the use of one of
his eyes entirely. The friends and relatives of
the bride conspiring that she had already put up
with more than could be reasonably expected of
her, now came forward and insisted that the
match should be broken off; but after wavering
while, Aurela with that noble and generous
spirit which did her credit, said that she had re-
fected calmly on the matter, and could not dis
cover that Breckenridge was to blame.


So she extended the time once more, and he
broke his other leg.


1t was sad day for the poor girl when she
saw the surgeons reverently bear away the saws
whose use she had learned by previous expert
ence and her heart told her the bitter truth that
- l. 81 = xl,ok
the field of her affections was growing more and
more circumscribed every day, but once more
she frowned down her relatives and renewed her
betrothal.


Shortly before the time set for the nuptials
another disaster occurred There was but one
man scalped by the Owen River Indians last
year. That man was William Breckenridge
Caruthers, of New Jersey He was hurrylng
home with happiness in his heart, when he lost
his hair forever, and in that hour of bitterness
he almost cursed the mistaken mercy that nad
spared his head


At last Aurelia is in serious perplexity as 10
what she ought to do. She still loves her breck-
enrdge, she writes with true womanly feeling
still loves what is left of him-but her parents
are bitterly opposed to the match, because ne
has no property, and is disabled from WORKING
and she has not sufficient means to support ooth
comfortably "Now what shall she do :! sne
asks with painful and anxious solicitude:


It is delicate question it is one whlcn iu
wolves the lifelong happiness OF woman, anu
that of nearly two-thrds of man, and reel
that it would be assuming too great RESPONSE
blity to do more than make mere sngges.ion
in the case. How would it do to build to MIN
IF Aurela can afford the expeuse, let her 1urhiSn
her mutilated lover with wooden arms ana
wooden legs, and glass eye and a wig' ana
Give him another show give him 80 days with
Ont grace. and if he does not break his neck IN
The meantime, marry him and take the chances,
II does not seem to me that there Is mucn ris.,
anv way, Aurelia, because If ne SUCKS 10 MS
nronensity for damaging himself every time ne
sees a good opportunity, his next experiment IS
nound to finish him, and then you are ali righ',
Won know, married or single.


If married. the wooden legs and sucn otner
raInables as be may possess revert TO the "ioo",
III yon Gee YOU sustain no actual loss save the
cherished fragment of a noble but most unfor-
innate husband, who honestly strived to do
r;oht. but whose extraordinary instincts were
aga;nst him. Try it, Maria. l have thought
ne matter over carefully and well it is the
onlv chance see for you. 1t would have been
a happy conceit on the part OF Caruthers II ne
had started with bis neck and broken that hrst
hnt since he has seen fit to choose different
nolicv and string himself out as long as possible,
do not think we out to upbraid him for 1t II he
i;ted II We must do the best we can under the
circumstances and try not to feel exasperated at
| him.


CrRE FOR PoLYGAMY IN UTAH.-The introduc-