Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-05-08

| husband.
"Ah, you know me, see," he said.
You're well fixed, amt you? A fine
house, and pretty garden, and "a
! husband that's respectable and don't
drink. Ha, ha, you've done better than
[ have"
The wretched woman was about to
rush into the house, but the tramp
shook the ratings savagely, and cried
Cob, Iii follow you in. I'll follow
you and let 'em know I'm alive and
well. Look here" he added, as she
paused, bring me handful of green
backs and I'll 60"
She felt in her pocket, but her purse
not being there she turned towards the
house. He seemed to know her object,
and said
BE quick. I'll wait two minutes;
not more"
In less time than that she was back,
and laid a roll of bills on the stone, be-
tween the ratings. Then she withdrew
to the house. A week after this the
tramp was back again. This time he
came by night, and asked at the base
ment door for the mistress Again she
had to give him money. Then she re-
fused to see him, and he hung around
the spot for three days, peering into
the garden, and even going close to the
lower windows and putting his face to
the glass to gaze in. Then he sudden
ly vanished, and the woman inside, who
had been in dread so many long weary
hours, felt a weight pass from her
heart.
When her husband-well, be it so for
this story-came home that evering he
was very grave. After dinner, he and
his wife-let her go at that for the pres
ent-had a long and secret talk. This
is what he had to tell her:
That afternoon, while in his store, a
fredericksburg tramp came in and
forced his way up to the desk.
"You are Mr.. Dash, believe" said
the tramp, adding without pause for
an answer, 'and | am B.
II don't zee what that has got to do
with nue." said Mr.. Dash, not for the
moment mindful that B. was the
name of the woman he had mar
ried
"Well, not much" the tramp answer
ed, Onl y you married my wife"
Dash was thunderstruck. The tramp
saw it, and enjoyed it.
"Pm not going to be troublesome"
the tramp SAID, "but [ have my rights.
Ny wife is my wife still. for the divorce
she got was all sham, and she swore to
lie when she sWOre that she did not
know where [ was. [ have her letters,
written to me within six months of the
time she says she got her divorce"
The face of the man to whom the
tramp was speaking was white. His
tongue was so dry that he could not
speak His knees were shaking, and
his feet dancing up and down, up to his
brain and down again, a thousand times
in a second.
Give me some money!" said the
tramp, ''and I'll go away"
Mr.. Dash lifted his desk, grasped
some notes and handed them to the
tramp. He put them into his pocket
and sided past the clerks and Gus
toners into the open air.
When Mr.. Dash told his wife all this,
she told him in return what had hap
pened to herself. Strange enough, no
plan was agreed on by which to curb
the wretched man or get rid of the cause
of fear. Time and again the tramp
called at Mr.. Dash's office and received
money. He was the same filthy sot, no
matter how much money went into his
hands. He never bought new clothes,
or took pains to make himselflook even
oloon. H was never without WhiSKey
except when he was without money,
and he never was without money
except when he was coming out of a
long debauch. At length, however,
even Mr.. Dash's grace failed, and he
spurned the hateful drunkard. Then
he haunted the house again uptown,
but a big, strong man was placed on
guard with club, and the tramp could
only swear, and rave, and stamp at a
distance. He took to another way.
uglier, and more dramatic. One Sun
day night when Mrs. Dash was quitting
church, he stepped up and asked her
for money, using threat to show her
up on the spot if she did not give him
what he wished. Her trembling hand
south her purse, which she thrust out
at him. At the door of the concert
hall, the tramp watched for her, and
always with dreadful threat upon his
lips.
When the grand Methodist reunion
took place at the Academy of Music,
not long ago, Mrs. Dash went thither in
her carriage with her husband. AS
she passed up the steps amid the piOus
throng. man i'll slOuched hat and
shabby coat thrust his head alongside
hers and Kissed out the threat, 'Give
me the diamond ring on your finger, or
I'll follow you and introduce YOU"
The affrighted woman had nothing
to do but tear off the ring and pass it to
the footpad And so this same dread
ed peril-the unearthing of sham
and fraud in a divorce-haunts this wo-
man at all times. To this day the hus-
band is around as a tramp drawing
money by threats, and Boosting in GIN
mills of his power to haul a big man
down and ruin his wife whenever he
chooses. The victim has been told
what to do to ease herself of the bur-
den, but she is afraid to act, lest the
story how written should be told with
the real names put it.
Grandfather LckshingIe's View of 1t.
Cincinnati Enquirer.
Grandfather Lickshingle threw down
the paper yesterday in disgust, and ex-
claimed:
at makes me sick, by gracious; it
makes me sickp'
"What makes you sick, grandfath-
err" asked James.
"Why, here's another coachman
runs away with his employers daugh-
ter"
at certainly Is too had . said lanes