Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-03-02

almost the most athletic youth whom it

almost the most athletic youth whom it
has ever been my good fortune to meet,
large limbed, muscular and brimful
| always of the most perfect health and
unfailing good spirits. AS a swimmer
and diver l never saw his equal. | have
| often seen him strip on wild day in
December or January and swim long
distances to recover some curlew or
pigeon which he had shot. But enough
of this. Suffice it to say that not only as
the constabulary officer of this district,
but as his own close personal friend, the
astonishing ana mysterious disappear
ance of pool freeman under the cir
cumstances detailed in the official re
port has been to me most severe blow.
| have done and am doing my best.
But every night finds me here in my den
cogitatinS aimlessly over this tragedy,
for the worst CT it is that | am unable
even to imagine a theory which will IN
the least square with the facts. | must
at least seem to be doing something.
frame now one theory of the Disappear
| ance, now another, and send out my men
and institute searching parties on the
| assumption that those theories are cor
rect, but Mt the same time | know that
so far from being correct they are in
| each case incredible and even absurd.
Every one looks to me to solve the mys-
terry, to recover the body or explain at
least how he was killed or stolen, and |
am no NOR. able to do SO than to trans
late Confucius from the original Chi
neSc.
When you were with me last summer,
! the Freeman family were away from
| home, but you remember the position
| of the rectory, which is visible from
| the rock behind my cottage. and its sit
uatiOn with respect to the rock called
Dhu- Corrig. which lies 1t the end of
this picturtsqu valley. The Rev. MI.
Freeman is Il gentleman for whom |
have always felt great respect, but
one with whom | was never able quite
to hit it off, and our relations have lat
terly become very strained indeed. !
could never get into the habit of steady
churchgoing. If | went to morning
service, | staid away from evening dit
to, and sometimes without valid excuse
have omitted both morning and evening
service. My behavior appeared still
worse when contrasted with that of the
coast guard officer, cid Crumps, who as
regularly as the bell tolls on Sunday
morning and Sunday evening and
Wednesday evening. too for we hay" Il
service then also-may lie seen, usu, "
with a cigar i'll his mouth, but always
with big Bible adorned with blue
markers under his arm, vending his
way to the house of prayer. Long since
Mr.. Freeman began to speak to me
about my irregularities and at first in a
perfectly polite manner. | promised
amendment, but did not amend. Then
as the pastor OF my flock, such was
his expression, he spoke to me very
sternly indeed about the duty incum-
bent on all progressing Christians of at
tending the house of God. Both the
manner and the matter of these eXhUr
tatiOnS | resented, always, | hope, re
memberlng that he was not only ClCr-
gyman, but an elderly man, and of
proud pietv and rectitude. | said moth
ing calculated to offend. but felt my
self becoming stiff neckcd and rebel
lious and all the old Adam rising strong
within me, and dare say this came out
in my manner and the tones of my voice.
But things reached their climax not
long after you lett me and when Mr..
Freeman and his family had returned
to the rectOry from a short visit to an
adjoining country. where he has Il small
landed estate, very much mortSagcd. |
believe, and residence called Castle
Cove. The family spend a fortnight or
three weeks there every summer and
were about to make their annual mi
grafton when John Freeman was lost.
There is an old maiden lady in this par
ish who delights in giving the most trivi-
al conversation theological turn. One
unlucky day while visiting at her house
in company with my wife | became so
daring and free spoken as to declare
that in my opinion the days mentioned
in the first book of Genesis were ages
or long intervals of time and not days
in Onr sense of the word. | believe that
in Dublin such an opinion would pass
without exciting astOnishment, and in
deed l have been told that it is held by
some clergymen of piety and reputc. a
few days later | was subjected to a very
pastoral visit from Mr.. Freeman. re-
fused to retract my heresy, was obliged