The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-12-19
WHANWAS 1T?

WHANWA AS 1T?
There was nothing in the weather
to produce q morbid state of mind
nothing in my surrounding, or th'
book was reading, to account for tn.
facts L am about to relate. l have nt
particular theory TO put forward II
connection with them. only say the,
are facts, and if anyone can tell me
the meaning of them, 1 shall feel mucf
obliged. So, without any further pre-
face, will state to what I refer. .... -.
On q lovely afternoon in March
1875, was lying on my sofa reading
an article in Kingsley's Miscellanies,
think called Chalk Streams, but, al
any rate, that was the subject treated
of.
Taking keen interest in the writ.
er's style, was fully absorbed in
what l read, until was arrested by
the feeling that come one wac looking
intently at me. Now, when l took up
my book for my usual afternoons
treat of quiet read, when the serv-
ants had gone to dinner, everything
was still, there was no one in the
room. The room was large, and my
sofa stood at the end from the door,
which had opened without my motto.
ing it, and our man servant, Pearson,
stood In the entrance, as l afterwards
observed. But my first impression
was that some one strongly wished to
attract attention, and on looking up
from my book saw q man standing
few yards away from me resting his
hand on a chair, and with such an ear
nest expression in his eyes as have
never seen on any face before or since.
Being q stranger in the place, I ma
turally thought of q visitor, annoyed
at athaving TO stand unnoticed, and went
forward to apologize for having been
so absorbed in my book that had not
noticed his entrance. Butas L walked
towards him (noting with surprise that
he was dressed in suit of clothes ex-
actly resembling one my husband had
worn q year before) 1 found myself
alone. That is to say, my visitor had
gone, but at the farther end of the
room stood Pearson, holding the door
and apparently looking hard at the
spot where he had just left. For a
moment thought must have been
and that possibly my servant
also existed only in my imagination,
SO l put it to the test by asking Has
any one called this afternoon
- No. ma'am,' was the answer, and
without any explanation of his own
at the door, the man left
the room. Still l determined to test
myself, and looking at the clock L saw
1 had been lying down ten minutes,
to myself the gist of what
thought had read, took up my book
again, and in ten minutes more hsd
reached the same point. Il
b, 1t seemed then evident that I had
not wandered from the subject, and it
was not one which could in any way
excite my Imagination, or bring to
mind the person whose story 1 will
PRESENTS tell you. Some hours later
when my husband came in, mention
ed the circumstances to him. His first
question naturally was: tBut did you
not know the face p To which I could
only answer: well, did and 1 did
not. That is to say, it is perfectly IA
miliar to me, and yet the expression
was, so unlike any I had ever seen,
that cannot tell whose face it was.
But the suit of clothes he had on, l
1 conld. swear were those you gave
RAmsey last year. Who he was, or
why he didn't say what he was SO
anxious to say, 1 can't imagine, but l
shall never forget the look on his face.
1t was intensely grave, and yet it
8 seemed lighted up by q most earnest
wish to speak, and to me personally,
for he looked straight into my eyes,
We talked oyer it again and again,
and mentioned it to one or two init
mate friends but having no idea that
any explanation of the circumstance
would ever be likely to come before
ue, 1 unfortunately did not make note
of the day on which it happened. But
in as short time as . letter could
reach us from home-we were in a
garrison town abroad-my husband
received letter from a sergeant, who
had been employed on civil duty un-
der him the previous year. It con-
tanned these words: 'You will be
sorry to hear your old servant, Ram
say, is dead We wrote to express
our regret, and to ask for particulars
Of his last illness. which must have
been lshort; ss we had left him in
health two months previously. The
answer was this: II -
Ramsey died in hospital I have
made inquiries, and have learned that
he died raving, and calling necessarily
for Mrs H. ..... ......-. ....
Thst;was myself, and this is Ram
says story: / = 4 .
Two years previous to the time of
which am writing, CHANGED to be
sitting in Highland cemetry, when a
poor man, bent with sickness, laid
himself down to rest in the sunshine,
q little way from where 1 sat. His
face interested me, and felt sure he
had, as they say, seen better days.
remarked to the friend who was with
me, that it seemed 10 be rather false
sentiment to SIT decorating a grave as
we were doing, whilst we let fellow
go away to starve, without holding
out hand. By this time the man had
gone but we agreed TO find him and in
a few days afterwards succeeded in
doing so. He had been private in