Year: 1861

A week or ten days ago, says a Paris let
ter-writer, a young man, originally from
the country, became engaged to marry a
lady equal to him in age and fortune, She
was a Partisan. He occupies a lucrative
place in one of the railway companies Off
ces here. His father lives on the old fami-
ly estate, which is situated in one of the
mountain gorges near the Franco-Spanish
frontier, and separated almost completely
from the world He had passed for wild
over above twenty years. The young man
paid a visit to the old tamily-seat, where,
indeed, he was accustomed to spend his
summer vacations, to collect the innumera-
BILE documents the French law requires the
officer who performs marriages to have in
his HANDS before he stamps the civil contract
made before him with its Medan and Per
sian character He asked his father for his
mothers burial certificate. The father was
extremely embarrassed by this appeal, but
as no bans could be published until the bu-
rial certificate had been lodged at the May
ors Office, where the marriage was to be
contracted, the father at last broke silence
saying: "My dear boy, | have for n great
many years concealed a secret from you, be-
cause its possession would prove painful
burden to you and because the honor of
our house is interested in its maintenance,
and your tender years have hitherto rem
dered you incapable Of preserving it. Your
mother lives. She is a Iunatic- Come
with me, and I'll let you see her"


He carried his son. who was trembling
with emotion, into an old tower which
formed part of the architecture of the
chateau, and they went TO the top of it.
The chamber the last floor was the lu-
natic's cell. He opened the door, the son
entered it, and kneeling at the poor wo-
mans feet, sobbed, g Mother! mother " ia
most heart-rending manner. These
touching appeals, which would have moved
stone idols almost, made no impression on
the poor lunatic. Her stare continued as
vacant and her lips as sT.eechless as ever.
The son, his soul sick at the sad spectacle,
then gently upbraided his father for deny
ing him the melancholy solace of sharing
the attentions he, the father, had bestowed
upon his wife's wreck for so many years
The father repeated the excuses he had first
given Of his sons youth and the Importance
Of the secret to the iamily's happiness. 1t
became necessary to avow this misfortune
to the brides family and they naturally
desired TO see for themselves as the story
that the wife was dead and the story that
she was crazy seemed something awkard,
which needed explanation. Several mem
bers Of the family went down to the distant
duced.


As soon as she saw herself surrounded by
witnesses, she said in 8 calm tone: " am
not mad. My husband becoming the prey
of most unreasoning jealousy, and being
alone in this secluded mansion, to escape
his continual scenes of violence, and to
avoid the fear I was continually under of
being assassinated by him Che threatened
more than once to kill mel, l say I feigned
madness in the hope OF enjoying something
like quiet. I preferred languishing in
prison all my life to being hourly harrassed
by these dreadful scenes Of jealousy


You may imagine the effect this declara-
ton made. The persons assembled thought
at first this accusation was but an addition
al evidence of the distracted state of her
mind for madness often borrows reasons
mask, and wears it so well as to deceive
even the most practiced physicians of the
mind The faculty was appealed to. Be-
fore it could decide, her husband, who had
been in state of great agitation ever since
his wife charged him with her sequestra-
ton, became raving mad. His papers were
inspected, and it appeared that he had for
years been crazy-a monomaniac-his
frenzy arising from Jealousy. He was
carried to a mad-house, and his wife signed
the marriage contract of her son Ism
that Venitian enough for you. To think it
occurred in France, in this year of grace