to his notice. As for Mr. Irving, I need scarcely observe that I approve of your choice, in which you have shown a discrimination that does credit to your taste, and to that good sense which has been the guide of your past life. Your friendly letter, in which you announce your intended marriage, now lies before me, and I must say, that I feel highly favored in your preference of me to become one of your bridesmaids. You could scarcely have preferred any request with which I would more gladly comply. Expect, therefore, to see me without fail on Monday, the 20th of October, a period to which I shall look forward with some impatience, as the day on which the happiness of a dear and valued friend will, I hope, be consummated. Adieu till then, and believe me to be,

My dear Clara,

Yours most sincerely and affectionately,

LUCY REVERE.

TO MISS CLARA KEMBLE, "The Cedars," Newark, N. J.

From a Brother to his Married Sister in a Foreign Country.

NEW YORK, June 3d, 18—.

MY DEAR SISTER,-We have been long impatiently expecting a letter from you. The last we received was far too brief, as we were anxious to know more about the particulars of your voyage, and how you managed on your arrival at the place of destination. The distance which now separates us invests all that concerns you with a peculiar interest, and our anxiety on the subject of your welfare can only be allayed by as full and particular a recital as you can possibly write. Believe me, it is no mere curiosity that elicits this wish on our part to be better informed of all that befalls you; as, since we have but too much reason to conclude that our meetings together are perhaps now forever closed, we are the more anxious to hear from you as

often as possible, and I am sure you will not withhold from us this pleasure. As for ourselves at home, little change has taken place since you left the United States: the health of our dear parents remains much the same; as does also of most of our relatives and connections. They all unite, with me in wishing you and your husband all possible health and happiness, and I remain,

My dear sister,

Your affectionate brother,
ALFRED ALVORD.

TO MRS. JULES MONTARNO, Rio Janeiro, Brazil.

From one Young Man to Another, in Reference to an Attachment. NEWARK, Jan. 3d, 18-.

MY DEAR KENT,-You will laugh at me, and with some reason, when I tell you that all my old skepticism about matrimonial happiness is at an end. I have. met with a young lady, who, I believe, would convert even you to a belief that marriage may be a very happy state, and that bachelors are only miserable wreches after all.

In brief, I am the engaged and accepted suitor of Miss Ford, whose visit to New York you remember. Words cannot suffice to express how great has been the enjoyment I have hitherto derived from her society, and the more I see of her amiable character and high accomplishments, the more certain do I feel that the day which first made known to me her consent to share my fortunes, will prove one of the happiest in my whole existence.

You may think this a very wild effusion, and one strangely at variance with my former avowed callousness on the score of domestic life; but, believe me, you will soon be a convert, when you see my dear Louisa.

Wishing that you may prove as fortunate in the selection of a partner as I have at present reason to believe I myself Believe me,

am,

My dear Jim, ever yours,

fo JAMES KENT, ESQ., Front St., New York.

GEORGE NEVERS.

Reply to the Above.

FRONT ST., NEW YORK, Jan. 5th, 18—.

DEAR OLD FELLOW,-And so you really are to be a Benedict! Well, I have no objections, provided you feel convinced that it is a measure likely to tend to your happiness. For myself, I am still a bachelor, although I do not know what such temptation as you appear to have undergone might not do toward upsetting my present resolutions. You know I have no antipathy to matrimony, but, unlike yourself, I have not independent means sufficient to render me fearless of consequences, and should not be disposed to involve any woman whom I could like sufficiently to make my wife, in a doubtful state of circumstances, if not in a discomfort which must be painful to a man of proper feeling and honor. At the same time, believe me, I cordially sympathize with your delight at the prospect of an agreeable union, and wish sincerely that every happiness may be the result.

Ever truly yours,

TO GEORGE NEVERS, ESQ., Newark, N. J.

JAMES KENT.

PART VIL-LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE AND SYMPATHY.

no balm for

you

On the Death of a Husband.

bo

The loss

α

ше

Green St., Phila., June 22, 18... Dear Friend: Words, I know, can a sorrow like yours. have sustained is too heavy to be lightened by ordinary expressions of condolence, yet I can= not but hope that the heartfelt sympathy of sincere friend will not be deemed an intrusion on your grief. It has been well said that weep for the loved and lost, because we know that our tears are in vain." I would speak comfort to but know not how. The only balsam for such afflictions as yours is that poured into the wounded heart by the Great Physician. Commending you to Him who is the stay and support of the bereaved and des olate, I remain in tenderest friendshir

you,

Mest sincerely yours,
Samuel Phelps,

To Mrs. Sarah Walters.

Bristol, Pa

Reply to the Foregoing.

BRISTOL, June 27th, 18-.

MY DEAR MR. PHELPS,-The loss of my husband has so completely prostrated me that I scarcely feel able to reply to your sympathizing letter. Still it was a great comfort to me. My friends tell me that time will reconcile me to my bereavement. Time, and the feeling that there is a better world than this, where the parted meet to part no more, may indeed abate the sharpness of my present sorrow, but it seems now as if the sense of loneliness that weighs me down would never leave me. words.

God bless you, for your kind

MY DEAR MR. MAXWELL,-I sympathize with you sincerely in your great affliction.

The loss of a loving wife is one of the severest trials to which a man of an affectionate disposition can be subjected. But during our brief sojourn here we must expect mournful visitations. The blessings that make life desirable are of briefer duration than even life itself. It is, however, consoling to reflect that beyond this fleeting scene, from which the estimable and the good too often vanish soonest, there is a world in which farewells are never spoken, and all tears are wiped away. To that happier above let us trust that the partner of your joys and cares has been called away, and that your loss is her gain. Believe this, and be comforted.

Your sincere friend,

TO MR. JAMES MAXWELL, Wheeling, West Va.

PHILIP STONE.