Year: 1869

The facts in the following case
came to me by letter from young
| lady, who lives in the beautiful
City of San Jose. Sheis perfectly
unknown to me, and simply signs
herself "Aurelia Maria," which
may possibly be fictitious name.
But no matter, the poor girl is al
most heart-broken by the misfor-
tunes she has undergone, and so
confused by the conflicting coun-
sells of mis- guided friends and in
sidious enemies, that she does not
know what course to pursuein Or
der to extricate herself from the
web Of difficulties in which she is
almost hopelessly involved. In
this dilemma, she turns to me for
help, and supplicates for my gui-
dance and instruction, with NOV
ing eloquence that would touch
tie heart of a statue. Hear her
sad story:


She says that when she was Six
teen, she first met and loved, with
all the devotion Of a passionate
nature, a young man from New
Jersey, named Williamson Breck-
enridge 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 as if their career
was destined to be characterized
by an immunity from sorrow be-
yond the usual lot Of humanity.
But at last the tide Of fortune
turned. Young Caruthers became
infected with the smallpox Of the
most virulent type, and when he
recovered from his illness, his face
was pltted like a waffle mould,
and his comeliness gone forever.
Aurelia thought to break off the
engagement first, but pity for her
unfortunate lover, caused her to
postpone the marriage for a sea-
son, and give another trial.


The very day before the we'd
ding was to have taken place,
Breckenridge, while absorbed in
watching the flight of a balloon,
walked into a we'll, fractured one
Of his legs: and it had to be taken
off above the knee. Again Aure-
liza was moved to break the engage
mcnt, but again love triumphed,
and she set the day forward and
gave him another chance to re-
form.


And again misfortune overlook
the unhappy youth. He lost one
arm by the premature discharge
Of a Fourth Of July cannon, and
within three m onths got the other
pulled out by carding machine.
Aurelia's heart was almost crushed
by these latter calamities. She
could not but be deeply grieved to
see her lover passing from her by
piece-meal, feeling as she did, that
be could not last forever, under
this disastrous process of reduc-
tion-yet knowing of no way to
stop it's dreadful career, and in her
DESPAIR, she almost regretted, (like
brokers who hold on and lose), that
she had not taken him at first, be-
fore he had suffered such an alarm.
ing depreciation. Still, her BRAY
cry bore her up and she resolved,
to bear with her friends unnatural
disposition yet a little longer.


Again the wedding day ap-
preached, and again disappoint-
ment overshadowed it; Caruthers
fell ill with erysipelas andlost the
use of one of his eyes entirely.
The friends and relatives of the
bride considering that she had al.
ready put up with more than
could be reasonably expected OF
her, now came forward and in
sisteathat the match should be
broken off; but after wavering
awhile, Aurelia, with that noble
and generous spirit which did her
credit, said that she had reflected
calmly on the matter, and could
not discover that Breckenridge
was to blame.


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


It was sad day for the poor
girl, when she saw the surgeons
reverently bear away the saws,
whose uses she had learned by
previous experience, and her heart
told her the bitter truth that some
more of her lover had gone. She
felt that the field of her affections
was growshg more and more cir
cumscribeas every day, but once
more. she frowned down her rela-
tives and renewed her betrothal.


Shortly before the time set for
the nuptials another disaster oc-
Cured. There was but one man
scalped by the Owen River 1ndi-
ans last year. That man was
Williamson Breckenridge Caru-
theirs, of New Jersey. He was
hurrying home with happiness in
his heart when he lost his hair