Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-03

Was the man crazy,
wondered, or did he intend to work Of
some kind of a joke on me? He saw the
surprise, which must have been reflected in
my, face, and continued:
81 am perfectly serious. 1 ask for in-
formation. If you will kindly answer me I
will explain the cause Of my ignorance.
The man appeared to be sane, and GER
certainly he was thoroughly in earnest.
'Grover Cleveland is our Chief Magis-
trate at present, but his term of Office e1-
pires on Monday, when Benjamin Harrison
will be inaugurated as his successor. Is it
possible you have forgotten facts with
which every other person in the land is per-
fectly familiar"
"Thank you. have not forgotten.
never knew. Let me order these glasses re-
filled, and then will endeavor to tell you
why am under the necessity of asking
such strange questions"
This conversation took place one day last
week in a well-known Pittsburg restaurant.
Ever since then it has not been out my
mind more than a few hours, either
at night or by day. The man was
stranger whom I had done 6 favor
in return for which he had asked me to take
dinner with him. Although he had some
thing Of the looks and appearance of rustic
he was evidently a gentleman in the true
sense of the word, and rather than wound
his feelings, accepted his invitation
readily. Besides, we had travelled together
from Cumberland, Nd, to Pittsburg on the
Baltimore and Ohio road and had become
as we'll acquainted as two men possibly
could during journey of a few hours dura'
tion.
THE STRANGERS STORY.
This is the tale which the stranger told
me as we sat at the table slipping our wine:
81 have been out of the world, so to
speak, for exactly ten years the 21st of next
month. No, 1 have not been abroad, but
have spent the time in one of the lonelIest
and least inhabited portions of the mount
ain regions of West Virginia. Before I
voluntary renouneed civilization to lead
hermit's life L lived with my parents
on a farm some distance up the valley of
the Monongshels. My father was in COM
Portable circumstances. 1 was his only son,
and had far better educational advantages
than were enjoyed by most of the farmers
boys of the neighborhood. After spending
several terms proftably at the village acad-
emy, 1 began the study of the law in the
office of an attorney Of wide reputation. I
was making fair progress, and expected to
be admitted to the bar in a few months,
when the shadow of a great disgrace fell
upon the honorable name hitherto borne by
our family.
''It is unnecessary for me to 90 into de-
tails-I could not do it, even at this late
day. 1 can only say that the blow was a
terrible one. 1t sent nv mother to the
grave, made the old age of my father wretch
ed and ruined the happiness Of
sister who was dearer to me than
life ITSELF 1t NAV have been
cowardly and unmanly in me, but fed
from home, resolved never to cross my
fathers threshold again. Even now do
not know whether my father and sister are
dead or alive, as l have never dared to make
inquiries, fearing my own identity might
be discovered. It's a wonder the mental
torture 1 endured did not drive me mad. It
did not, though there have been many times
when it seemed to me that oblivion or even
death would be welcome.
SEEKING FoRGETFULNEss.
"You would probably Judge me to be
man of 45 or 80 years. These gray hairs
and these deep lines on my face make me
look old, know. My age, in reality, is
but 80 years. 1 fed from my desoiated
home and the scene of my blasted prospects,
feeling that 1 must hide myself from the
gaze of mankind. 1 courted forgetfulness,
but never found it. My misery has been
my sole companion during all these years.
''With sum of money in my pocket
amounting to about $500 and a small pack
age containing few articles of clothing and
three books-Shakespeare, Byron and the
Bible-I struck out into the widest part Of
our neighboring State. At the last town
before arrived in the wilderness 1 bought
a gun and ammunition. 1 found a deserted
habitation in the woods, which looked as if
it might have once been a moonlight disti1-
ler's headquarters. 1t was half cavern and
half cabin. This occupied first as my
hunting camp, and finding myself unmo-
Tested, l made my permanent home there.
Until left it for good last week 1 had
never been absent from its shelter for more
than two consecutive nights at any time in
ten years. The money took with me en-.
abled me to buy what supplies L needed
at a country store some four miles
up the valley, and to the same place
1 carried and sold the fur and game that /
secured by my skill in hunting and trap
ping. Though but novice in these arts
when first entered the woods, soon be-
came quite an expert in both, and my in
come was ample for my simple wants. A
short distance from my habitation was .
small patch of ground partially cleared bv
-
sort of field where carried on a rude and
primitive kind of agriculture, raising vegs-
tables and little corn for roasting ears.
A MODERN ROBINSON CRUsoE.
Robinson Crusoe, on his desert island.
was not so much alone as /. Only two or
three times in all those long years did lever
see the face of human being near nv cabin.
The few hunters who came that way, if thew
discovered my retreat, never molested me.
I made as few trips as possible
to the hamlet of half a dozen houses where
the store was located, and doubt if a dozen
people in all that region knew my face. the
name had assumed or where I lived.
read the books had with me through until
I can now repeat whole pages from each of
them. 1 had resolved never TO look into
a newspaper, even should one come in nv
way, and never broke that resolution but
once. conversed very little with the
storekeeper or anyone else I chanced to
meet, and knew nothing of political or
social movements. On one occasion when I
brought from the store bundle wrapped in
a part of an old newspaper the temptation TO
see what the world. was talking
about was too great. 1 seized the
paper and read and reread it until every
word was fixed upon my mind. From
that paper learned that Grant was dead.
1 do not know who succeeded Hayes as
President; know nothing Of current his
tory. Almanacs, put out by firms dealing
in patent medicines, which were thrust into
packages and procured at the store, enabled
me to keep track of the days of the week
and month, so that always observed Sun
day, as had been taught.
"A few days ago 1 suddenly came to the
conclusion that I had wasted my time long
enough, and 1 left my home to mingle with