Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-04-08
An Unexpected Witness.

George Rankin and family were at
their summer residence in Berkton. 1t
was warm June evening, and Mr.. Ran
kin was sitting onthe piazza when his
mail was handed to him. It was so
seldom that he received any communi-
cation of Importance not contained in
his daily letter from his business man
ager in the city, that, after reading that
epistle. he turned to the opening Of the
other envelopes with no expectation of
finding anything more interesting than
sf-efreufar. or a statement of some local
market. His surprise and interest were
therefore considerable when he opened
the following letter:
Mr. DEAR RANKIN-To day for the
first tim. in fifteen years have heard
of you | learn that you have passed
your summers for the last few years in
secluded little village paradise of
quietness, called Berkton. / also hear
that in your little hamlet there is a
church but no minister. My friend,
when we were '9chums," you could not
believe that l would ever be solemn
enough to b. come a preacher. But a
preacher am, although at present with
out charge. have been offered po-
sition in your city, with large salary.
For a certain reason, which | shall not
mention, | cannot accept the offer. /
desire to labor in the Masters service as
long as l live, but / am compelled to
work in some quiet section of his field.
May ask you to present my name as
that of a candidate for the vacant pull
pit in your neighborhood? Sincerely
yours, JOHN RAYMOND.
1t is doubtful if there had been for
years in the feelings of George Rankin
anything so near to sentimentalism as
there was during, and tor some time
after. the reading of that letter.
So he really became a minister
said he, to himself, as lie folded up the
letter AID put it in his pocket. For an
hour he forgot to turn to his paper, the
memories of those college days was all
at once so absorbing.
There was very little that Rankin
knew about Raymond, though for year
at college, il so happened the two had
shared q room; they were very good
friends, though by no means very init
mate. They were unlike in MANY re-
spec5s- The former cared little for
society; the latter was looE ed upon,
even then, as quite society man. Raw
mond's father was dead. His last re-
quest was that his son become. like
him, a minister. Soon after his father
died, leaving barely property enough to
support his mother and educate him.
young Raymond came into possession
of considerable wealth, by the decease of
an uncle From that time he was to
crafty his taste for elegant attire, pic
lures and books; and to keep team.
Though possessing many good qualities,
Rankin could remember bat one thing
in the life of his schoolmate that seemed
positively religious, and that was his
1nvariable custom of offering morning
and evening prayer. A silent prayer,
and not unfrequently when offering it
was he long while on his knees. This
apparently sincere act of devotion made
some impression upon Rankin, but less
than it might have done perhaps if other
alleged acts in Raymond's life had not
seemed SO strangely inconsistent with it.
Ii certain impressions that prevailed
among collegians at that time were COR
rect, his course of l. fe in one respect, in
particular, was altogether inconsistent
with such life as that solemn practice
implied he led. But as has been said.
there was very little that Rankin really
knew about his roommate He him.
self had discovered no vice in him; and
their friendship was not of the kind that
: led them to make confessions to each
other. Yet he had come to think that
the opinion which existed to some ex-
tent, that in the fashionable circles
which Raymond frequented, he was
given to an excessive use of wine, was
probably correct. 1t was said that solic-
tied by one of the fair sex, whose
beauty and accomplishments the time
of many was spent in praising, a daugh-
ter of one of the weallhiest residents
of the town, he could not decline. And
it was rumored that he had become i :
fatuated with this young woman. Ran
kin once saw her portrait on the table
in their room, where Raymond had in
advcrtently dropped it.
After leaving college and entering
upon an active business career, Rankin
ceased to think much about his friend,
and at length quite forgot him. Called
to mind again by the application he
had made, which vaguely hinted at
some mystery in his life, Raymond
seemed more of an enigma than ever to
Rankin and more interesting. SILL,
- much as Rankin deoired - oee the
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