d a letter from Nellie addressed to, "My unknown
benefactor," and desiring his consent to an engagement between herself and
Robert Stanton. The same mail brought a letter from Robert, saying that he
had just made an offer of his hand to a Miss Helen Ashton, who was only
waiting for her guardian to sanction her choice. Judge Fulton's consent
was given, and he wrote to Nellie that before she was married he would
make himself known to her, and give her a wedding at his own house.

A few days before Robert left for Kentucky Judge Fulton received another
letter from Nellie, saying that it was Mr. Stanton's wish to be married
the ensuing autumn. To this the judge gave his approval and determined as
soon as Robert was gone to enlighten Nellie as to who her guardian was.
This, then, was the history of Nellie Ashton, whom we will leave for a
time, and as our readers are probably anxious to return to the bland
climate of Kentucky, we will follow young Stanton and Raymond on their
journey. Having arrived at Buffalo, they took passage in the steamboat
Saratoga, which landed them safely in Sandusky after a trip of about
twenty-four hours. At Sandusky they took the cars for Cincinnati.

As they neared the Queen City, they noticed at one of the stations a tall,
intelligent, but rather reckless-looking young man, who entered the cars
and took a seat directly opposite them. There was something peculiarly
attractive to Raymond in the confident, self-possessed manner of the
stranger, and ere long he had, to use a Yankee expression, "scraped
acquaintance" with him, and learned that his name was Henry Ashton, and
that he too was on his way to Frankfort, where he resided. As the young
man told his name, Raymond turned to Stanton and said, "I should think
that you'd feel acquainted with this gentleman, you are so partial to his
name."

Stanton did not answer, and Raymond proceeded to question Mr. Ashton about
Frankfort and its inhabitants. "By the way," said he, "are there any
pretty girls there? Substantial ones, I mean, who have a purse long enough
to pay a fellow for the trouble of marrying them?"

Mr. Ashton smiled and answered, "Yes, we have a good many, and rich ones
too; but the belle of the city when I left was a Mrs. Carrington--"

"The plague it was!" interrupted Raymond, "and can't we get rid of her
husband somehow? Won't he die of yellow fever, cholera or something? Or is
he a gouty old wretch, who will live forever?"

"You p