Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1869-04-22
December 18th 1850 g.,

returned the boy. ''I'm tired of
boats and water. And we've got
such lots of nice things for mamma
too; haven't WEI"
eyes, pet; and only think how
lonely mamma must have been
all these weeks, without her lit
tie boy"
He caught the little fellow up
in his arms, and moved onward at
more rapid pace. Along Lake
street he greeted two or three ac-
quaintances with a brief nod to
each; while they, unnoted by him,
looked after him with troubled
eyes and a compassionate shake
of the head.
Treading his way rapidly and
confidently, he turned up Clark
street, passed under the shadow
of the old courthouse to LasalIe,
and up that street to a point not
many hundred feet away from the
spot where the great new build
ings of the "Young Mems Chris
tian Association" have recently
been burned. Here he turned
off diagonally, and, crossing some
vacant lots, approached low
white cottage. He saw, as he
came up, that the blinds were all
closed, and the house looked de-
serted and silent. But it was a
hot day, he said to himself, and
behind the closed blinds must be
the futtering curtains and cool
shade of pleasant home. "Be-
Sides" he thought, 'she is not ex-
pecting me; l 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 was closed and locked.
He returned to the front with sur
prise and anxiety, and the shad-
ow of gathering fear written on
his face. But he plucked up
again when he came back to the
front and his little boy asked.
"Papa, where is mamma? Why
don't we 60 in?"
"Mamma did not expect US to-
day." he replied, with a dreary
,heerfulness, "and she has gone
but to see some neightors, or shop
ping, maybe. But she'll be back
presently, and we'll sit down on
he step here, and wait for her."
But he rang the bell loudly,
md listened intently as its echoes
sounded through the desertedrooms
before be sat down, and tried
with a troubled heart, to think
where his wife could be. Present
y the clicking of his gate-latch
'oused him from his unquiet
hought, and he looked up with
IN eager smile. But it was
who advanced gravely, |
Ind replied to his hurried question
'nly by ringing his hand aud
lolding out to him a copy of a
morning newspaper, folded down
o an indicated paragraph. He
ook it eagerly, and the neighbor,
quickly away, leaned on
he gate. Let us look over his
houlder as he reads:
"ELOPEMENT. - Last evening, |
Don after the departure of one of
'ur magnificent Lake steamers, it
ranspired that the wife of we'll
inown citizen had taken passage
or Buffalo and the East in guilty |
with a young man who
las contrlved to attract the admi-
alton of our business men by the
,oldness and success of his COM
nercial operations, quite as much
8 that of their daughters and
wives by his personal graces.
"The runaway seems to have
'een conducted in the most delib-
rate manner. The gentleman,
within a few days, has closed up
II his outstanding business, an
louncing his purpose to remove
rom the city; and the lady, up to
within a few hours of her depart
ire, having continued the apparent
curse of her life with the utmost
ang froid, making arrangements
Vith friends and neighbors for days
till in the future, and ostenta-
iously bewailing the absence of
er husband, whom pressing bust
ess called to New York several
7eeks ago. On the whole, we
ave rarely heard of q case exhi. !