The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-04-05
A STRANGE TALE,
A Man and Wife Separated for
Years and Years.
And After Strange Vicissitudes are
Again Happily United for
all Time.

The whirligig of time brings to the sur
face many thirgs stranger even than tic-
ton.
Read the following:
The time was 1856; the scene in the
western portion of what is now known as
Lee county.
At that time, and in that section, there
lived gentleman, John Rolf, and his wife,
Adeline Rolf.
They were happily mated; had bright,
lght-haired little baby boy, named John,
after his father, and he was the Joy of his
parents, and his smiles were CHEEKY,
golden sunbeams to a somewhat retired
life, for Mr.. Rolf was a farmer, and the
country, at that time, was sparsely set
tied.
Mr.. Rolf was steady, industrious man,
very neighborly, and, of course, was well
liked. His farm was a small one, but by
dnt of hard labor he managed to live very
comfortably, and peace and happiness
reigned in his household.
His farm was Just fifteen miles south
east of where the town of Taylor now
stands.
At the time this story opens 0S56l the
California excitement struck Texas, and
swept over it like blue norther.
The whole population was stirred to its
very depths, and Mr.. Rolf caught the
fever.
He had visions of much gold, and around
the hearthstone he and his wife discussed
the propriety of breaking up and moving
out to the Ell Dorado,
1t was finally decided that Mr.. Ref
would 90 out first, leaving his wife and
little boy, then or 5 years old, to follow
should he be successful in reaping a
golden harvest.
The separation was painful, for during
the years of their IN arrisd life, and amid
:he storms and hardships that beset a
frontier people, their ties Of love had
grown rong, indeed.
He took up his line of march for the
golden slopes of the Pacific, leaving his
wife and boy comfortably provided for.
Weeks and months flew by. A year
passed and took its place in the great
procession of years, and yet the anxious
wife heard nothing from her absent hus-
band.
Was he dead?
No ore knew for all communication
with California had ceased.
Then came the great drOuth which
lasted for several years, and which made
communication more difficult.
All this time Mr.. Rolf was in California,
where his hopes had been blasted and
several efforts to retrace his steps back to
Texas and to the wife he loved SO we'll
failed.
To make matters worse he took sick,
and was in bad health for many months.
Difficulties piled up mountain high, and
giving up all hope of ever seeing home
again, and the war coming on, he, in 1862
married. but the woman he married died
two years after.
Here in Texas his wife had given up her
husband as dead, and In 1868 she mar
ried man named Shaw and he made her
a good husband, but two years after his
marriage he died, leaving cold Aunt
Adelne" as she was affectionatelys called,
alone with her boy John, who was in his
teens and help to his mother,
In 1865 Mr.. Rolf married again in Cali
fornia and Mrs Shaw, his Texas wife, mar
ried Mr.. Clare the same year.
In 1886 Mr.. Glare died, again leaving
Aunt Adeline a widow.
In 1867 the third wife of Mr.. Rolf died
in California.
During all this time Mr.. Rolf and Mrs
Rolf had not heard from each other and
each supposed the other dead.
Finally, along about 1880, he wrote to
Texas, hoping to hear from some of his
old friends and to learn from them if his
boy was living.
He got no answer.
Then he made up his mind to visit
Texas, and in 1882 he reached Taylor,
Williamson county.
He made inquiries and learned that his
son, john Rolf, was a wellto-dO and highly
respected citizen of Williamson county.
He sent for him and they met, and
father and son, after so many years of sep
aration, wept tears of joy.
Old Aunt Adeline was still living on the
old homestead, and the long separated
man ard wife were again brought to
gether, old memories and old, hallowed
love was revived, and they are still living
at the old homestead, fifteen miles from
Taylor.
When brought together their meeting
was as if one had risen from the dead
Their feelings we're too deep for utterance,
and rushing Into each others arms they
embraced and wept tears of Joy.
The above is true story as furnished
The STATESMAN reporter by prominent
and popular physician of this city, who is
acquainted with the persons.