Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-08-05
Wanderer Meets His Wife at the
Grave of Her Second Husband,

SOME fifteen years ago there lived in
the northern part of Portage township q
young married couple by the name of
William and Anna Clarkinson. They
owned little farm, and made enough to
keep them comfortably in the world, and
were apparently happy. William was
handsome and well educated, having grad
uated with honor at an Eastern universe
ty. He did not like the honest but humble
occupation of farming Wealth accumu-
lated too slowly by following the pillow;
he wanted to make money by the thou.
sands of dollars. So the farm was sold.
Mrs Clarkinson went to live with her
parents, and William started for the
golden State of California, with the ex-
pectationA of "picking up" q couple of
million dollars in a couple of years.
For few months Mrs. Clarkinson oc-
casionally heard from her husband, either
directly or through some of the neigh
bors who had friends with the same train
with which her husband was going.
Then there was long interval, during
which no word came. After time there
were rumors that the train had been at
tackled by Indians, and every one killed.
This was at last too truthfully verified by
one poor fellow, who was found by an
other party few days after with just life
enough left to tell how the train had been
attacked one dark night, and before any
could recover from the surprise, all were
killed and scalped, and the Indians rode
triumphantly ava with their booty.
For three years Mrs. Clarkinson
mourned for her dead husband After the
lapse of that time she married again, and
moved to Wood county. For nearly
twelve years she was as happy as kind
and affectionate husband and two beauti-
ful children could make a woman At the
end of that time (Which carries us up to
the LIST inst.) affection again casts its
mantle over her. Death claimed her hus-
band, and again she was a sorrowing,
weeping widow.
She follows weeping to the grave she
hears the sad, solemn words: Dust to
dust and ashes to ashes"-the earth falls
with dull, dreary thud upon the coffin,
as the sexton slowly covers up all that re-
mains OF him whose spirit has gone be-
fore to the other world. The widow
raises the black veil and looks around.
AS she does so she meets pair of eyes
fixed intently upon her. She starts
memory rushes back fifteen years and
brings up the picture of her first hus-
band. There can be no mistake
It's he! The recognition is mutual,
There is a scene-the widow and wife
faint - the bronzed stranger explains
his relation to the woman, and
all repair to the home of her who ten
minutes ago was widow, but now is
again wife. Then Mr.. William Ciarkin-
son tells how he was not killed by the
Indians at the time of that sudden
onslaught on the plains, but was
taken prisoner by the Blackfeet and car
ried far away among their mountain fast
nesses, and during all those long years
had been forced to slave for his cruel cap
tors.
He had finally escaped, and during his
flight through mountain gulches he dis
covered q rich gold deposit. How he had
written back to his old friends; but could
get no answer. He then went back and
worked the gold mine which he had dis
covered. He grew rich, and longed to
again visit the home of his youth and
happiness. He had got off the cars at
Pittsburgh and taken the stage to Bowling
Green hired a buggy there and was
driving to his old home when he overlook
the funerals strange impulse induced
him to follow-the widows person seemed
strangely familiar, and when she drew
aside her veil he recognized her as the
wife he had hidden adieu to fifteen years
before, and whom he had thought to be
dead. They are now living happily
together FSndSGg, o., Courier.