Griggs courier., 1891-01-16
A MYSTERY.

drawing veil of secrecy over his past?'
queried the young doctor, when it cam,
his turn to contribute story to the gen
eral fund. 81 used to think" he con
tinued, "that such characters emanatet
solely from the fertile brain of the fictio1
writer. But Twas mistaken. Notmany
years since I formed the acquaintance o1
man who was harder to make out thar
the most ingenious creation of novelis1
could possibly be. A regular human
enigma in short, and he wasn't obiging
enough, you know, to clear up the mys
terry before he died either.
at was early in the $685." began the
doctor, lighting cigar, "and had just
finished my medical studies and was
trying to pick up little practice in g
pleasant village in the southern part o1
Wisconsin. Business didn't flourish by
any means, but as I had friends there
and was too poor, besides, to think o1
establishing myself in a large city, I was
very we'll content to remain there. fo,
while at least.
"There were several churches in the
town, but at the time of which I 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 q
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 a discourse which,
for eloquence and logic, have never
heard excelled. You may be sure the
church lost not moment in engaging
him, and they marveled much at thei1
good luck, wondering that so talented q
man should wish to stay and bury his
gifts in such a small, obscure town.
''The 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 lie was young, and such a
genial, warm hearted fellow that every
body liked him at first sight. They
couldn't help it.
"But, as 1 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 hia moro At
tractve to as. For my part, I thought
the strangest thing concerning him was
thst he seemed never to hold communi-
cation with anybody outside the town.
A fellow 80 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 asingle message
Of any kind.
cat 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 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
I was convinced that hh had. It was in
this way:
Ramsay had dropped into my, Office
and we fell to conversing about heredi
tary disease. It grew out Of some case.
was treating then. I don't remambe,
what. Ramsay in his brilliant. earnest
fashion began to inveagh against people
who married and ,bzoueht into tAs wozad
children cursed with ths seeds Of some
dreadful mAlady.
":Let me tell yoo . story. he said
and 1t will show you how many live
may be ruined by one such deed TIKI
facts came to my knowledge years ago
Once there was . boy-never mind hi,
name-who. his friends said, shoved ex
ceeding great promise in his youth. Hi
mo*hss, widow. seemed uttee3y ywzappei
up in him. She Travelled with him Il
foreign lands, sent him TO the fines
schools ssd spassd neitAes paias Aoe ex
psoae 10 inpso~s IL taasn6 aatuus Aai
bestowed upoa h3m. Hs - Aopefn
ana happy, nd eos taUOH kplAasi
Ap-Ae WpA sehsa - Voak Ahoot II
fa*hse, whom hsoonldu1ssanAss, eoi
his mother Wa setsoent upon tAat POM
and replied 10 al his qusioas scantilJ
and vaguely.
"'They weze living IN Eagfand at th'
time, having come there from Americ,
after the father's death, and being II
easy circumstances financially the futm'
looked very BRIGHT and glowing indeed.