Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-28
Mrs. Bennion's Disappearance.

pairing his watch with the drawing-room clock
and addressing his butler. Both master and
man looked very uneasy.
.'No, SIR. Missis went out after luncheon.
She ordered dinner for as usual, so we sup
posed she would be In"
at is $50 now" said Mr.. Bennion. endeavor-
Ing TO look composed "You are sure no card
or note was left for me?"
"Qu1te sure, sir" replied the butler, who had
been summoned up four or five times Within
the last hour and half to answer similar In
terrogatories. "Shall serve up the dinner,
sir?"
"Yes, you had better; probably your mistress
has gone 70 dine with her parents. dare y say
have been miscarrted."
Mr. Bennion sought to quiet himself by say
Ing this. put he was Ill at ease. He was bar.
riSter In large practice who had been married
about year, and this was the first time that
there had been the slightest hitch in the clock
work regularity OF his home life. Except on
absent on circuit he was accustomed to leave
his home at $50 every morning and to return
at 645, when he would find his wife dressed to
He was a methOdical man and she social lit
tie woman, who knew her husbands liking Tor
punctuality and took care that he should never
be disturbed by any thing amiss In her domestic
arrangements.
He sat down to his solitary dinner In the
large handsome dining room. He lived I'D RuS-
sell square, where all apartments are spaeas2us;
and, being prosperous man, his SURROUNDINGS
were luxurious. The taD.e, Sprea1 VITA tdSts.
was decked with flowers and silver. ana cue So1G
light shining through.siooes OF white glass sned
on IL an air OF feStfvity. But the chair OF the
young mistress of the house renamed empty;
and gazing on that vacant seat, Henry Ben,
Mon could neither eat nor drink. lie mad
never realized till that moment how very dear
his wife was to him. she had graced nl5 nome
and made him happy. From the irSbday Wnen
she had sat In that place OF honor az tue mead
OF his bOard-a still bluShiag bride after theif
return from the honeymoon tour-fron thai
time until that very morning OF this day, Waen
she had presided as usual over his oreaS1aSb,
Henry Bennion had been accustomed 10 ma IN
her the most tender and cheerful companion
ship. Hescaled to mind how often ne had
glanced across the table and met the Deans OF
her smiling eyes, how often he had been en-
nyeEed BY her merry prattle and touched Dy
the interest which she expressed In his work,
his pleading and his growing fame, OF which
she appeared 50 proud No cross word h11
ever passed between them; no coldaes5 or SaikS
had ever marred their intercourse for an hour;
On the contrary, in the smallest matters as we'll
as In great ones, dear Mabel Bennion had made
her husband constantly feel that she was
helpuate on whose loving devotion and entire
frankness he could rely wholly. Abruptly
presentiment fell upon him that all this was
past and gone and that his wife would never
more sit In her place at that table-never. He
pushed away his plate and stared at the empty
chair with q haggard glance. A creeping OF
the flesh came upon hiE1 as II misfortune Ind
entered his home and were standing near him
with her chill shadow. He had started sew
eral times at the sound OF cab wheels and eve
bells, and now loud knock at neighborlns
door made him jump up with the reflection
that 1t was paste and thatevery moment added
to his Just cause for alarm.
He walked into the hall. put on his hat and
left the house without speaking 20 any OF the
servants. AT the first cab-Stand ne hailed
hanson and told the driver to take him ID
Eaton place, where Mr.. kurtheW, Maoeps Ia
ther, lived.
MI. Kurthew was wealthy solicitor, having
large family OF sons and daughters whom he
had all settled comfortably in life With the ex-
ception Of one daughter, an invalid, who re-
sided with him. Julia Kurthew with her father
and mother were all three In the draWtny-r0om
when Henry BenniOn arrived, and to the anx-
ious question which he stammered out, "Haye
you seen MaOel?@ they answered In the ne ga
tive. Julia at once saw that there was some
thing wrong, but She was not the person to Of
fer any comfort. Her general occupation was
to lie on the sofa and say Snappish things.
.'Has Mabel left your" she said, arching her
eyebrows.
"She has disappeared" answered Bennion,
addressing Mr. and Mrs. Kurthew rather than
Julia, whose tone shocked him. Il hoped she
Mr.. and Mrs. Kurthew both grew much
alarmed. They were too proud to attribute
their daughters disappearance TO any scanda-
lous reason, and concluded that she must have
met with some terrible accident. Perhaps she
had been run over In the streets or been In
jured while riding in cab. Mr.. Kurthew said
ne would accompany Benni o 70 Rlssen square
and II DOt, they must go TO Scotland Yard.
They left the house accordingly, but at Ben
MONS residence they learned nothing new. SO
In silent CONSERVATION they drove to the police
Office and saw one OF the heads of the depart
ment, who took down description OF VI able
and obligfngly promised, that inquiries should
be Instituted that night in all the hospitals and
police stations, so that the afflicted husband
might at least have tidings Of some sort on the
MORROW.
Bnt neither on the morrow nor on the days
following that could any Intelligence be OBJ
tanned OF Mabel Bennion- Her servants were
greatly agitated but In answering the Cross
questions OF their master and of detectives they
were all agreed that nothing unusual was no.
ticeable In their m1StreS5's appearance the last
time they saw her. Henry Bennion had now
put aside all professional work and spent his
time In driving about to police stations and
hospitals. When at home he employed him.
self In examining all MaberS drawers. her
dresses, desks and papers TO see II haply some
clue TO the woful mystery might be discovered.
But he found nothing at all-not single line
OF compromising character-nothing to shake
the melancholy belief at which he had arrived
that bis Wffe's disappearance could only be ac-
just week after his loss, Henry Bennlon
caused this advertisement TO be inserted In the
papers:
MYsTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED FROM HER
RED lady aged sWentyone sight in snre wary
chestnut hair blue eyes, small mouth with very
blue serge walking dress, a sealskin Jacket and
hat With tn ref aihsT Linen NAKED
for information which shall disclose this lady's
whereabouts, if living, or lead to the recovery of
her remains If she be dead. Apply to scotland
Yard
BY this time Mrs. Bennion's disappearance
had been reported editorially In all the papers
and was becoming the talk OF the kingdom It
had been converted into sensation affair IN
sonuch that some Of the daily Journals printed
two or three columns full of letters every morn
Ing from correspondents who had explanations
70 suggest-most OF them opinfng that the miss
Ing lady must have been decOyed into some
thieves den and there murdered Henry Ben
MON himself received heaps OF communications
from persons who had seen ladies answering to
the description OF bis wife, and he was sum
mOned dozen times to identity dead bodies
that had been found IN the river. At the end
OF month he put on mourning, feeling con-
WINGED that he was widower Among all his
acquaintance there was but one person who
did not believe Mabel TO be dead, and that was
her sister, Julia kurthew.
Lying on the sofa In her languld way, with
novels In her lap, this girl, who would have
been pretty but for her hard look and trick OF
Sneerlny, took no part in the discussions that
were held In her presence as TO Mabers prob
able fate, but she occasionally shook her head
and smiled as IL fncreduiou5ly. When Henry
Bennion had seen her do this several times he
one day lost patience and turned on her alb
ruptly: 'Julia, you don't seem to agree with us
about your sisters DEATH he said, looking
hard at her. "Can you say anything to en-
tighten USE"
NO. don't believe she is dead" answered
Julia, colOTing-
"Then do you imagine she has LETT me pur-