Year: 1874

The very day before the wedding
was to have taken place, Breekin,
ridge, while absorbed in watching the (,
fight Of q balloon, walked into well
and fractured one of his legs, and il
bad to be taken Of above the knee.
Again Aurella was moved 10 break
the engagement, but again love tr.-
umphed, and she set the day forward
and gave him another chance to re-
form


And again misfortune overlook the
poor youth. He lost one arm by the
premature discharge of a Fourth ofI
July cannon, and within three
mcnths be got the other pulled out
by a carding machine. AureIla's
heart was almost crushed by these
latter calamities. She could not but
be grieved to see her love passing
from her by peacemeal, feeling, as
she did, that he could not last forever
under this disastrous process of re-
duction, yet knowing of no way to
stop its dreadful career, and in her
fearful despair she almost regretted /
like brokers who hold on and loose,
that she had not taken him at first
before be had suffered such an alarm
ing depreciation Still her brave 1
soul bore her up, and she resolved /
to bear with her friends unnatural /
disposition yet little longer.


Again the wedding day approached
and again disappointment over
shadowed it Caruthers fell i'll with I
the erysipelas aud lost the use of one
OF his eyes entirely. The friends and |
relatives of lLe bride, considering
that she had already put up with
more than could reasonably be ex-
pected Of her, came forward and in
sisted that the match shoeld be brok-
en- off, but, after wavering a while
Aurella, with a generous spirit that
did her credit, said she had reflected
calmly upon the matter, and could
not discover that Breekinridge was
to blame.


So she extended the time oHco more
and he broke his other leg


1t was a sad day for the poor girl
when she saw the surgeon reyerently
bearing away the sack whose uses
she had learned by previous expert
ence, and her heart told her the bitter
truth that some more Of her lover
was gone. She felt that the field of
her affections were growing more and
more circumscribed every day, but
once more she frOwned down her rel |
atives and renewed her betrothal


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


At last Aurella is in serious per-
plexity as to what she ought TO do
She loves her Breckenridge, she
writes, with true womanly feeling
she still loves what is left of him
but her parents are bitterly opposed
to the match, because be has no prop
erty and is disabled from working,
and she has not sufficient means to
support both comfortably. Now,
what should she do ?" she asks with
painful and anxious solicitude.


1t is delicate question; it is one
which involves the lifelong happiness
Of a woman and that Of nearly two
thirds Of man, and feel that it
would be assuming too great re-
sponsibility to do more than make
mere suggestion in the case. How
would il do to build him? II Au-
rella can afford the experiment, let
her furnish her mutilated lover with
wooden arms and legs, and glass
eve and a wig, and give him another
show, say ninety days, without grace
and if be does not break his neck in
the mean time, marry him and take
the chances. 1t does not seem to me
there is much risk any way, Aurella,
because if be sticks TO his singular I
propensity for damaging himself ey-
erytime be sees a good opportunity, /
bis next experiment is bound to finish
him, aud then you are safe, married I
or single. If married, the wooden 4
legs and such other yaluables IS be 4
may possess revert to the widow, and !
YOU see, yOuEsustain no actual loss
save the cherished fragments Of
noble but most unfortunate husband,
who honestly stroye to do right, but
whose extraordinary instincts were
against him. Try it. Marie. ! have /
thought the matter over carefully and /
well, and it is the only chance I see
for you. 1t would have been a happy
conceit on the part Of Caruthers if be
had started with his neck and broken
that first; but since be has seen fit to
choose a different policy, and string
himself out as long as possible, ! do
not think we ought 10 upraid him for
it if be has enjoyed IL We must do
the best We can under the circumstan-