The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1868-08-05
might have called to take her master to a

l o.
He left the surprised girl standing at the
door, and ran to Drury Lane. Here, again,
he vas disappointed. He had not been seen
He ran from place to place, and from house to
house, wherever he thought it possible his
brother could have called, but nobody had
heard OF or seen him. Many of the persons
to whom he appealed openly expressed their
doubts to each other Of his sanity Of mind
which were really not without shadow of
probability, seeing that he knocked them out
of their beds, and, with every appearance Of
agitation and wildness, demanded if they had
seen his brother, whom nobody had heard Of
for fourteen years, and whom most Of them
considered dead.
It was so late now that the theatre was Just
shutting up, but he ran back once more, and
again inquired if his brother had been there
Hearing he had not, he concluded that, reeol-
Letting the address he had mentioned, he had
gone straight to his mothers home; this SEEM
cd probable, and yet he felt degree efdis-
may and alarm which he had never before ex
perienced even when there were good grounds
for such feelings
The more he thought Of this, however, the
more probable it seemed, and he blamed HIM
self as he walked quietly homewards for not
having thought of it sooner. He remembered
the anxiety his brother had expressed to see
| their mother, the plan they had discussed for
| their all being together, and the many little
schemes Of future happiness which they had
! talked over in their hurried interview, and in
all Of which he was comprised He reached
| home, and composing himself as we'll as he
could, entered the little room in which he u.s.
ually supped after the play. His brother was
| not there, but his mother was, and as she
looked much paler than usual, he thought she
| had seen him.
"Wcll, mother" he said, ''has anything
strange occurred here tonight ?"
"No, nothing that have heard Of"
"What no stranger arrived ; no long lost
relative recovered 2" exclaimed Grimaldi, all
his former apprehensions returning
"What do you mean? ?"
"Mean Why that J ohm is come home safe
and well, and with money enough to make all
our fortunes"
His mother screamed wildly at this intelli-
gence, and tainted. She recovered after
time, and Grimaldi recounted to her and his
wife the events Of the evening precisely as
| tueg are uGI6 uttfTdteO.
They were greatly amazed at the recital.
The mother held that he would be sure to
como before the night was over that he had
| probably met with some of his old friends, and
would be there after he had left them. She
| insisted that Grimaldi, who was tired, should
so to bed, while she sat up and waited for her
son. He did so, and the mother remained all
though the long winter night anxiously ex-
pecting his arrival.
This may appear long stery, but its con-
clusion invests it with a degree of interest
which warrants the details The running
away to sea Of a young man, and his return
after lapse Of years, is and ever has been, no
novelty in this island This is not the burden
Of the tale. 1t possessed an awful interest to
those whom it Immediately concerned, and can
not fail to have some for the most Indifferent
reader.
From that night in November, 1903, to this
month Of January, 1888, the missing man was
never seen again, nor was any intelligence or
any clue Of the faintost or most remote des-
cription ever obtained by his friends respect
ing him.
Next morning, and many mornings after
wards, the mother still anxiously and hope
lessly expected the arrival of her SON. Again
and again did she question Grimaldi about
him, his appearance, his manner, what he said,
and all the details Of his disappearance again
and again was every minute fact recalled and
every possible conjecture hazarded relative to
his fate. He could scarcely persuade himself
but that the events of the preceding night
were delusion of his brain until the inquiries
after his brother, which we're made by those
who had seen him on theprcvious night, placed
them beyond all doubt. lie communicated to
his friends the strange history of the last few
theirs sudden disappearance. He was advised
to wait little while before he made the cir
cumstances public in the hope that he might
have been induced to spend the night with
some shipmates, and might speedily return.
| But a week passed away, and then further
silence would have been criminal, and he
proceeded to set on foot every inquiry which
his own mind could suggest or the kindness
of his friends prompt them to advise. A
powerful nobleman who at that time used to
frequent Drury Lane theatre, and who had on
many occasions expressed his favorable opin-
ion of Grimaldi interested himself greatly in
the matter, and set on foota series Of inqui-
ries at the Admiralty; every source of in-
formation possessed by that establishment that
was deemed at all likely to throw any light
upon the Subject was resorted to, but in vain ;
che newspapers were searched to ascertain
what ships had arrived in the river or upon
the coast that day, whence they came, what
crews they carried, what passengers they had !;
the police officers were paid to search all Lon
don through aud endeavor to gain some in
formation, if it we're only of the lost man S
death Everything was tried by the family
aud by many very powerful friends whom
the distressing nature of the inquiry raised
up about them, to trace the object of their
regret and labor, but all in vain. The sailor
was seen no more
If you love, love more. If you hate, less.
Life is too short in hating any one. Why
, war against mortal who is going the same
road with US? Why not expand the flower
of life and happiness by learning to love, by
| IL IL Iaor bn