Year: 1870

The Count SroiX, belonging to
one of the nOblesucshd Wealthiest fami-
lies of France, became engaged, after
long courtship, to q lady his equal
in positiOnFand fortune, az famous for
her beauty. Shortly after the happy
day was appointed which was to render
two loving hearts one, the Count was
ordered Immediately to the siege of
SebastOpOOl; so he girded on his saber,
and at the head of his regiment march
ed ON to the battlefield. During the
Counts absence it happened that his
beautiful atfianced had the smallpox !;
and lowering between lite and death,
she recovered, but found her beauty
hopelessly lost. The disease had as
sumed, in her case, the most virulent
character, and left her not only disfig-
ured, but scanned and SCARED to such a
frightful extent that she became hide
GUS to herself, and resolved to pass the
remainder of her days i'll the strictest
seclusiOn.


A year passed away, when one day
the Count, Immediately on his return
to-France, accompanied by his valet,
presented himself at the residence of
his betrothed and solicited an interview.
This as refused. He, however, with
the persistence of a lover, pressed the
klit, and finally the lady made her APP


france, very closely muffled in a


At the sound of her voice the
Count rushed forward to embrace her,
but, stepping aside, she tremblingly
told him the story of her sorrow, and
burst into A. heavenly smile
broke over trtssCOunt's handsome fea-
lures, as raising his hand above, he eXN
claimed =" 1t is Gods work! l am
blind ~ 1t was even so. When gal
lantly leading his regiment to the at
tack, a cannon ball passed so closely to
his eyes that, while it left their express
sion unchanged and his cOuntenance
unmarked, it robbed him forever of
sight. 1t is unnecessary to add that
their marriage was shortly solemnized.
1t is said that at this day may be often
seen at the EmperOr,s receptions an of
ficer leaning upon the arm of lady
closely vailed, and they seem to be at
tracted to the spot by their love of mu-
sic.


Rev. DIR. Strong, of Hartford, Conn,
was not often Outwitted by his people.
On one occasion, he had invited a
young minister to preach for him, who
proved rather q dull speaker, ana
whose sermon was unusually long.
The people became Wearied, and as
DIR. Strong lived near the bridge, near
the commencement Of the afternoon
service he saw his people fiOcking
across the river to the other church.
He readily understood that they feared
they should have the same young man
in the afternoon. Gathering up his
wits, which generally came at bis bid
ding, he said to the young minister:


My brother across the river is rath-
er feeble, and I know he will take it
kindly to have you preach to his peO-
pie, and If you will do so, I will give
you note to him, and he will be as
much obliged to you as [ would to have
you preach the same sermon that you
preached to my people this morning" )"


The young minister, suppOsing this
to be a commentator of his sermon,
started off in good spirits, delivered his
note, and was invited to preach most
cordially. He saw before him one-halt
of DIR. StrOng's people, and they had to
listen one hour half to the same dull,
humdrum sermon that they heard in
the morning. They understood the
joke, however, and said they would
never undertake to run away from
Strong again.


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