Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1890-12-11
A MYSTERY.

A MYSTERY.
"Did you ever bump up against an in
/ dividual who baflied your curiosity by
drawing a veil of secrecy over his past?'
| queried the young doctor, when it came
his turn to contribute story to the gen.
eral fund. II used to think, he con-
tinued, ssthat such characters emanated
solely from the fertile brain Of the fiction
writer. But | was mistaken. Not many
years since formed the acquaintance of
q man who was harder to make out than
the most ingenious creation Of novelist
could possibly be. A regular human
enigma in short, and he wasn't obliging
enough, you know, to clear up the mys-
terry before he died either.
''It was early in the '60's," began the
doctor, lighting cigar, ''and l had just
finished my medical studies and was
trying to pick up little practice in a
pleasant village in the southern part of
Wisconsin Business didn't flourish by
any means, but as 1 had friends there,
and was too poor, besides, to think of
establishing myself in large city, was
very well content to remain there, for
while at least.
ssThere were several churches in the
town, but at the time of which / speak
the Congregational pulpit was empty.
Numerous applications for the position
appeared, but none suited until at last
one Of the trustees arrived home after a
short trip and announced that he had
found the very person. A Rev. Mr..
Ramsay it was whom he had run across
quite accidentally, and who, though
travelling for his health, had finally con-
sented to come out and preach trial
sermon and to remain indefinitely if his
hearers were pleased.
''Well, in due time Mr.. Ramsay ar
rived and delivered discourse which,
for eloquence and logic, have never
heard excelled. You may be sure the
church lost not a moment in engaging
him, and they marveled much at their
/ good luck, wondering that so talented a
man should wish to stay and bury his
gifts in such a small, obscure town.
'sThe new acquisition speedily arose
to the place of first favorite in the ranks
of the ministers. His sermons fairly
scintillated with brilliancy, and we soon
found that he certainly possessed re-
markably fine education in the bargain
Though he never spoke of the past. his
conversation gave evidence Of his having
travelled extensively in pretty much
every country ON the face of the globe
Moreover he was young, and such a
4 genial, warm hearted fellow that every
body liked him at first sight. They
couldn't help it.
ssBut, as I said, he never alluded to
his former life. For aught we knew he
might have been bishop or highway
man, an American gambler, or the son
of an English duke, but the church
members were too proud of the prize
they had captured to be very Gu
rious about the previous record,
and the touch of mystery clinging to
him only rendered him his more at
tractive to us. For my part, thought
the strangest thing concerning him was
that he seemed never to hold communi-
cation with anybody outside the town.
1 A fellow so engaging and companion
able must have made friends wherever
he went, and yet so long as we knew
/ him he didn't receive one letter or tele-
gram from abroad-not single message
of any kind.
"At least, that is what the postmaster
and the depot agent said, and these
officials keep track Of such things in lit
tie towns, you had better believe.
Ramsay and l got to be quite init
mate after while, and many were the
walks and talks we enjoyed together.
But he wasn't any more confidential
with me than he was with others, and
of course asked no questions Only
once did he say something which might
be construed as bearing upon the secret
/ was convinced that he had. It was in
this way:
Ramsay had dropped into my Office,
and we fell to conversing about heredi-
tary disease. 1t grew out Of some cases
was treating then. | don't remember
what. Ramsay in his brilliant, earnest
fashion began to iuveigh against people
who married and brought into the world
children cursed with the seeds of some
dreadful malady.
"tLet me tell you a story he said,
, and it will show you how many lives
may be ruined by one such deed. The
facts came to my knowledge years ago.
Once there was boy-never mind his
name-who, his friends said, showed ex-
ceeding great promise in his youth. His
mother, widow, seemed utterly wrapped
up in him. She travelled with him in
foreign lands, sent him to the finest
schools and spared neither pains nor ex-
pense to improve the talents nature had
bestowed upon him. He was hopeful
and happy, and one thing only troubled
him-he used often TO wonder about his
father, whom he couldn't remember, and
his mother was reticent upon that point
and replied to all his questions scantily
and vaguely.
They were living in England at the
! time, having come there from America
after the fathers death, and being IL
easy circumstances financially the future
looked very bright and glowing indeed.
"'In due time the young fellow grad
uated from the university with higf
honors, and soon after became engaged
to beautiful girl. He had long beer
destined to enter the ministry worl
for which his taste and abilities bes
fitted him-and Immediately upon hi
marriage he was to settle down in charg
of parish at some distance from hi
home. There was but one drawback +
happiness. His mother, although sh
consented to the betrothal, did not seen
to feel the pleasure in 1t that he coul,
have wished But he put it all down t
her grief at the prospect of parting wit
him, and preparations for the weddin
went on in the merriest fashion.
"But one morning there was Al
alarm. The mother was missing-ha
disappeared in very unaccountable an
mysterious manner All the day the
searched for her and just at night m
hero, passing through some woods in
i secluded part of the grounds, found he
lying face downward in a shallow littl
pool of water there.
"tDrowned herself during tempe
rary alteration Of the mind" was th
I verdict, and then it was the young ma
learned that insanity had hea17 for cer