Year: 1861

Some time last fall, young man, whose home is
among the mountain gorges Of France, near the
Spanish border, paid visit to Paris and there fell
in love with the daughter Of a well-known family
The courtship short one, and in the early part
Of December this young lover departed for his faith
ers chateau blessed with the Of beauti-
fl bride soon he could make due legal prepara-
ton for the possession Of such expensive necessi
ty. 1t IS customary in France, when people desire
to get married for the husbandelect TO file certain
papers concerning his parentage and circumstances,
With the Mayor of his town. Francois, as we will
call our hero, was obliged to file the burial certif-
cate of his mother among other papers and that was
about the first thing he asked his father to give him,
after the first greetings were over The old gentle
man had lived as widower for twenty years
though no could tell exactly when his wife died.
or where she was inferred. Upon hearing his sons
request he became greatly agitated, and burst into
tears when pressed for an answer Scarcely Know
ing what TO suspect, Francois earnestly prosecuted
bis query, and finally the old man exclaimed; AMY
dear boy, for many years | have concealed from you
secret, in which my honor and yours is involved,
not wishing to burden your young mind with its
sorrowful reality; but as you press me for an
swer, must tell ysu oil. Your mother-my wife
Lives and is hopeless manacl Come with me
and you shall see her"


Struck dumb with this overwhelming confession
Francois silently followed his father to a room IN





there behed she wreck of his beautiful mother
Falling his knees before hsr he sauted her with
the enderest epthets: but she only stared vacanly
at him as thongh she heard him not, aud he was
compelled to acknowledge that she was indeed be-
yond hope.


After gently upbraiding his father for 50 long
keeping the terrible secret from him. Francois took
measures TO acquaint the family of his bride with
all the circumstance at once. as lie could not have
been legally married otherwise. The brides fami
naturally desired 10 see for themselves the so-
ry that the wife was dead, and the story that the
wife was crazy, seemed something awkward, which
needed explanation. Several members went down
10 the distant chateau, and the poor unatc was iu-
troduced. Finding herself surrounded by compe-
tent witnesses thus, the unhappy maniac suddenly
dismissed the insane fires from her eyes the wild
glare from her face, and the loose straws from her
hair, and said very calmly. ~ am no more mad
than the SAFEST among you; but have feigned mad
ness for score of years, TO escape the unbearabe
torture Of my husbands cruel jealousy ! have
preferred hopeless imprisonment lunatic to the
violent scenes and constant fear of murder must
have endured es woman. There is no madness
about me; but my husband, NJ, Is lnadl"


This curious avowal created the greatest surprise
and CONSERVATION n the breasts Of her hearvrsher
husband and son among the nnmber--and was re-
garded as another proofo of her lunaey. The truth
full earnestness Of her manner however induced the
horri6ed Francois to call in an eminent physician
who very soon pronounced the poor woman perfect
ly sanel


Scarcely was this over when the husband himself
became raving mad and was necessarily placed in
the very prison to which he had doomed bis wife so
many years. His private papers were lately exam
ned, and reveal the fact that for years past he has
been violent monomoniac-the effect Of an uhgov-
ernable jealousy on a nature otherwise weak. He
had idolized his wife, until he chanced to see her
take her handkerchief from the hands Of a gentle
man who had picked it up for her; and from that
time bis mad and groundless jealousy had such
sway, that life was not secure against his violence.
While he howled aud moaned in his prison room, the
liberated wife signed the marriage contract Of her
son. and the wedding took place at the house Of the
brides family.


"Stern retributiou neither sleeps nor dies" says
the monsti and in this case its workings are
strongly eXemplifed.