Year: 1871

snip might summon HIM away to
resume his professional duties at
any hour, he had no sooner hasten
ed the young lady into assent to his
design than he boldly asked her un-
cle's consent to their immediate
marriage, and was able to persuade
the old gentleman to favor the idea.
Thus it was that, before the captain
had been in Soleurc a month, he
had the felicity to lead to the altar
one of the fairest bellies Of the can
ton, and to forget, in the blessings
of the honeymoon, the hardships
and perils of the career Of life from
which he was only temporarily a
truant. His employers, however
firm of shippers in Havre-were
not thus oblivious, and the bride
groom had scarcely realized the
tullness of his happiness when he
received orders to join his vessel
at once for new voyage.


There was no choice but to obey,
and accordingly, with brave show
Of fortitude and promise Of early
return, he tore himself away from
his weeping bride and departed for
the port from whence he was to
sail.


Weeks OF anxious waiting and
foreboding were now the lot of the
bride left behind, and then the news
brought to her was such as broke
her heart to hear. First, rumor
brought by some ship, then a dis
patch in formal terms told her that
her husbands vessel had been
wrecked on the coast of Africa, and
all on board had perished. There
was no chance, however desperate,
to doubt the dreadful story; and,
gathering her great sorrow to the
deepest depths Of her loving heart,
the girlish widow resigned herself
to life of silent sorrow. For six
years she bore her grief as courage
ously as she could, but at last her
uncle, who was childless widower,
and loved her as a daughter, deter
mined upon radical change in it,
and that complete change of scene
was the first necessity of the case.
Without word to her, the good
man sold his whole property, in
lands and cattle, for the means to
accomplish his sclf-sacrificing pur-
pose, and then removed with his
surprised charge to Paris, where,
as he hoped, new surroundings and
novel associations would divert her
mind to some fresh object Of exist
ence


Gratitude to her uncle for his un-
selfish devotio was enough Of
itself to urge the mourner to some
resumption of lifc's energy; and
when, after due formal address, a
gentleman Of good family begged
her hand in marriage, and cited the
uncle's approval Of the suit, she be
came wife once more.


This second marriage, if pro-
duced by much less romance than
the first, had promise of permanent
endurance at least, and for nearly
three years was attended by a So
Der kind of prosperity to which the
voices Of little children finally lent
graceful music. But trouble was
still in store for her who had al
ready known so much Of it. In the
arrangement Of trades and values
produced by the unfortunate war
between France and Prussia the
property not only Of the husband,
but also Of the uncle, suffered such
serious depreciation that both gen
tlemen became greatly embarrassed,
and both were compelled to forget
social pride III the attainment of
further livelihood.


In short, before the government
of the commune had been super
seeded by that Of Versailles, the un-
Gle and his son-in-law were the
keepers of a cafe on the Boulevard
Montmartre, with the niece and
wife as their assistant. With the
ultimate restoration of peace to
hapless France, this modest estab-
lishment gained popularity need
ing only some fanciiul French ''scn-
sation' to make the fortune of its
proprietors, and such Sensation
was indeed its fortune so lately as
three weeks ago.


On that occasion, says the Swiss
Times, whence this whole narrative
is derived, Il gentleman whose fea-
lures were bronzed with a tropical
sun and whose military uniform
bore upon the breast several cross
es and decorations, entered the cafe
with the multitude of other guests
and called for refreshments. Hav-
ing dispatched the latter this officer
proceeded in the usual course to the
pay desk of the house, and was
handing the amount of his bill to
the attendant "lady of the COUNTER"
when between the latter and him
self there passed look of startled
recognition, followed by an excla-
nation from the one, and the fall,
in n dead faint, of the other.


In a moment all the guests of the
cafe were gathered in excited con-
course around the PROSTATE woman
and the strongly agitated soldier
hanging over her, and it was some
time before any explanation of the
sccre could be obtained. When at
last, in response to the rather angry
questioning of the two masculine
proprietors Of the cafe, who now
appeared from the inner room, the
military intruder wildly claimed the
fainting lady as his long lost wife,
the whole company cried out that
he must be lunatic, and commend
ed him to the police. No lunatic
was he, however, but the ''late hus-
| band" of the fainting wife-the ex-