Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-03-23
Lost fin the Fog,
From the Burlington Hawkeye.


Erasmus T. Ruggleson, a young
man of Saxon lineage, worked on a
farm out here in Yellow Springs
township. He was not rich, but he
was industrious and just too pretty
for anything. So was the daughter
of the farmer for whom he worked,
She was Weather than Erasmus, but
she was not proud. When the chores
were done in the winter evenings,
she went with him to the singing
school and she walked by his side to
church. She loved him; she had
rather sit at her easement in the
cleaning, and hear him boiler
''po-oo-eyl" in long-drawn, mellow
cadences, at the hour of the feeding
of the swine, than hear Campanini
sing "Macaronidel Nermicelli' from
''Handorgzhanni in Venezuela" And
he-he was clean gone on her. Marsh
ed past all surgery. When they
foolishly let the old man into their
plans for each others happiness and
half the farm, the wrathful agricul-
turist said if he heard one more word
OF such nonsense, just another word,
he would lay that farm waste with
physical havoc, and bright it's winter
wheat with the salt tears of his only
child, and that was the kind of d
father-in law he was inclined to be.
Naturally, the young people de-
termined to fly. Their plans we're laid;
the night was set. SO was the lad
der. At its foot waited the ardent
Erasmus Ruggleson, gazing at the
window for the appearance of his love.
Presently the window opened softly,
and face he loved appeared.
''Rasmus! Florence!'
Eyes, dearest. Shall I drop my
things right down ?"
Eyes, love 1 will catch them. Let
the bundle fall"
The glittering starlight of the clear
March fell on Erasmus glad and up
turned face. So did a trunk, four
feet high, four feet wide, and about
eight feet long 1t weighed about
2,700 pounds. It contained a few
'.things' that no woman could be ex-
pected to travel without, and Florence
had spent three weeks packing that
trunk for her elopement.
Erasmus Ruggleson did not scream
He did not moan. He couldn't. He
had no show. Florence came down
the ladder, having first, with maid-
emily sense of property, requested her
lover TO turn his back and look at
the barn. He may have heard her,
but he didn't look at the barn. He
was busily engaged in looking at the
bottom of that trunk, and thinking
how like all creation he would yell If
he ever got his mouth outdoors
again.
Florence reached the foot of the
ladder "Did you get my trunk,
Erasmus?" she said, looking around
for him.
sob, yes" said a horse mocking
voice at her elbow. "Oh, yes, he got
it. Got it bad, too"
She turned, knew her papa, shrek
ed once, twice, again, and once more
for the boys, and tainted away.
II never worried about it a min
ute" the heartless old man told his
neighbors the next day, though l
knowed well enough what was gom'
on all the time. I've been married
twice, an I've married off four daugh
tiers and two sons, an if 1 dom know
what baggage woman carries when
she travels, by the time, I'm too old
to learn"
And, Erasmus Ruggleson! The
jury brought in verdict that he
came to his death by habitual drunk
enness, and the temperance papers
didn't talk about any thing else for
the next six weeks.