Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-10-02

| J y
the uneasy imaginings of unscrupulous
and plotting guilt, moved out on the bosom
of the lake.
| The afternoon of the succeeding day
was far advanced. The westering sun
pierced his level lances through the veil OF
grimy smoke that settled along the busy
river, and far out across the green bosom
of the lake their golden points were
dimmed and blunted against the purple
east. The clatter, rather than roar, which
was the business voice of the Chicago OF
that day, was dying int quiet, and over
vast regions where ono now hears the
rumble of the horse cars and the many
toned voice of traffic, the air trembled only
to the faint bell-note from grazing kline, OF
their mellowed lowing, as they lazily wan
I dered homeward.
The steamer "Baltic," from Buffalo
direct, had Just arrived. The hustle OF
landing was almost over, and the knot OF
| idlers which such an event at that day
always drew, was melting gradually away.
A gentleman of thirty to thirty five years
stepped briskly ashore, leading by the
hand little boy of not more than five
years. Both were well but plainly clad,
| indicating a middle social rank; and the
| face of the gentleman wore that express
sion of pleasurable anticipation, not, in
deed, entirely unmixed with apprehension,
which one always feels upon return
home after long absence.
| "We'll soon be home now, Harry, my
boy; and I shouldn't wonder if mamma
half chokes you with kisses"
"Oh, I'm so glad to come home!" re-
turned the boy. "Tm tired of boats and
water. And we've got such lots of nice
things for mamma, too; haven't we?"
| "Yes, pet; and only think how lone
some mamma must have been all these
weeks, without her little boy"
| He caught the little fellow up in his
arms, aud moved onward at more rapid
pace. Along Lake street he greeted two
or three acquaintances with brief nod to
each; while they, unnoted by him, looked
after him with troubled eyes and COM
passionate shake of the head.
Treading his way rapidly and conf
IDENTIFY, he turned up Clark street, passed
under the shadow of the old courthouse
to Lasalle, and up that street to point
not many hundred feet away from the
spot where the great new buildings of the
"Young Mems Christian Association
have recently been burned Here he
turned off diagonally, and, crossing some
vacant lots, approached a low white cot
tage. He saw, as he came up, that the
blinds were all closed, and the house
looked deserted and silent. But it was a
hot day, he said to himself, and behind the
closed blinds must be the fluttering cur
tains and cool shade of pleasant home.
"Besides," he thought, "she is not expect
ing me; am more than week ahead of
time"
He stepped on the little stoop, and
turned the knob, but the door was locked.
Bidding the boy wait for him there, he
went to the rear door. That, too, was
closed and locked. He returned to the
front with surprise and anxiety, and the
shadow of gathering fear written on his
face. But he plucked up heart again when
he came back to the front and his little
boy asked,
"Papa, where is mammal Why don't
we go in?"
Mamma did not expect us to-day" he
replied, with dreary cheerfulness, "and
she has gone out to see seme neighbors, or
shopping, maybe. But she'll be back
presently, and we'll sit down on the step
here, and wait for her"
But he rang the bell loudly, and listened
intently as its echoes sounded through the
deserted rooms, before he sat down, and
U,
where his wife could be. Presently the
| clicking of his gate-latch reused him from
his unquiet thought, and he looked up
with an eager smile. But it was a neigh
Dor, who advanced gravely, and replied to
his hurried questions only by wringing
his hand and holding out to him copy of
morning newspaper, folded down to an
indicated paragraph. He took it eagerly,
and the neighbor, walking quickly away,
leaned on the gate. Let us look over his
shoulder as he reads:
ELoPEMENT.-Last evening, soon after the de-
| parture of one of our magnificent Lake steamers,
it transpired that the wife of quite well-known
citizen had taken passage for Buffalo and the East
in guilty company with young man who has con-
| trived'to attract the admiration of our business
men by the bodness and success of his CONNER
eial operations, quite - as 3, much as that OF their
The runaway seems to have been conducted IN
| the most deliberate manner. The gentleman,
within few days, has closed up all his outstand-
| from the city; and the lady, up to within few
hours OF her departure, having continued the ap-
parent course of her life with the utmost sang 10id,
making engagements with friends and neighbors
for days still in-the future, and ostentationsy be-
wailing the absence of her husband, whom press
| ing business called to New York several weeks
| ago. On the whole, we have rarely heard of a
case exhibiting cooler depravity. The parties
names we suppress, for obvious reasons.
| learned that Mr.. B-rn-s is accompanied in New
York by his only child, bright little boy of five
years or thereabouts. Mr.. J-rey has therefore Sc
cured his frail inamOrata free from any incum-
| brances of that nature.
| His face grew white and rigid, as, first
rapidly, then with marvellous delibera-
tion, he read the damning paragraph, and
he clutched the paper till the letters there
on left their. impression in the dank mois-
ture that stood on his fingers. His little
boy had leaned his head upon his lap, and,
wearied with the long summer afternoon,
had fallen quietly asleep. By and by the
paper dropped from his relaxing fingers,
and, lifting his child in his arms, he turned
his steps once more to the rear of his de-
serted house. One or two vigorous push
| es forced open the door, and father and
son, not in the anticipated joy and bright
ness of happy home, not with the glad
smiles and warm kisses of beaming wife
and mother, but in silence and the bitter
ness of desertion, with heartsickness and
sense of utter loneliness past expression,
trod again the familiar rooms. Let us
initiate the example of the plying neigh
bor, and leave him with his grief
Twenty -four hours after, looking al
most as if twenty four years had left
their traces on his kindly features, he
called to Mr.. Gage, the neighbor who
brought him the paper on the preceding
evening, asking if he could give him an
hour. Mr.. Gage entered his house, ex-
pecting to be asked for all his knowledge
with respect to the disappearance of Mrs.
Barnes, and felt vague sense of relief,
mingled with surprise, when MIR. Barnes,