American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-07-31
THE MISSING MAN.

could never quite make her out. Evi
IDENTITY she had "a past" but she wOul
not tell me much about it, until mer
accident opened it all up L will not sto
to relate how knew her, but come +
the point at once.
Her husband must have been a maj
of good family. but an utter scamp
gambler, spendthrift and drunkard; al
his own people turned their backs Oh
him. Dropping lower and lower, h
reached n very low ebb indeed at last
and she had bad time of it with him
They had been living somewhere il
Yorkshire, he racing, betting-Heavel
knows what. The Doncaster meetin,
was coming round. and he found thu
region getting too hot for him, so h
made a bolt of it and came to London
bringing her with him (they had NJ
children); came, as l understood, will
a couple of portmanteaus and under AT
assumed name-of course, she never tolt
me his real one He took small, old
fashioned furnished cottage for three
months; dilapidated place somewhere
near Kilburn, quite on the outskirts
and where the new neighborhood, which
has now sprung up, was only then first
beginning to be thought of.
but three days, when what happened,
happened. They were without a serv-
amin the house alone, in fact, the
wife becoming the drudge meanwhile.
A high wall surrounded the garden in
which the cottage stood, it having been
a neat little box in its day, quite in the
country. An old and now almost dis
used road ran along one side of this
wall, which had door to it amongst
some thick trees. Well, it was early in
September, the weather was close and
sultry, and on the third evening as it
was getting dusk she strolled out and
sat down on bench under these trees
near the door, leaving him sulkily smok-
ing in the house.
''Sad and miserable, indeed, was as
i sat there" went ON my friend, 'think-
ing, thinking, thinking, in the silent
cleaning. Everything was still as
death in that dreary neighborhood, so
that when the sound of footstep COM
ing slowly along the road by the side
of the wall caught my ear, 1 almost
started; but when 1 heard the footstep
suddenly totter, then stop close to the
door, and some one stagger against it,
/ rose from sheer nervousness. When
to this sound succeeded long-drawn
gasp and moan, and then heavy thud,
as of the person falling to the ground,
with an instructive pity 1 flew to the
door, and. drawing back the lock,
gently opened it. There, on the step,
lay, as well as 1 could see by the twi-
light, a young, well-dressed man.
He made an effort to rise when
he saw me, partly regained his feet,
caught at the door-post, staggered and
fell headlong into our garden. All
this was but the work of a moment.
and now, thoroughly alarmed and hard
ly knowing what did, closed the door
and rushed into the house. My husband
met me on the threshold.
".What now? What's all that scrim-
mage about? he said.
''Timidly told him.
You fool, are we not hard-up
enough already. but you must be play
ing the Good Samaritan, and let the
man I'M DO you want to turn the
place into an hospital? He's drunk, no
doubt
With this he reached the spot where
the unfortunate man lay face down.
wards upon the edge of the soft, I'M
mown lawn Gently turning him over,
my husband went on.
"'Why, he's dying, if not dead; we
must fetch a doctor. A pretty mess
you have got us into, but we must go
through it honestly, or else who knows
what we may be charged with-mur-
der, perhaps! Be off and get doctor;
there's red lamp at the second turn
ing on the left down this road
Il flew to do his bidding, terrified
by his words, which / saw had some
reason in them, and had nearly reached
the house, when he called out:
"'Here, go out this way, by this
door here, into the road; it's nearer
al returned. and was about to open
the garden door, close to which he was
still bending over the body, when saw
he was examining the contents of a
large portemonnaie, which he had taken
from the pocket of the PROSTATE, I'M
man 1t seemed to be full of
notes and gold. l hesitated, but fear
the bolt, when he whispered:
'''Stop-wait q minute. Did any one
see you let him imp
80 No one; there is not creature
about, and the road is not overlooked
i answered.
mo, nor this corner of the garden
NuCIC VIC 8AC-nO- IL . tOO IluCh ShuI
in by trees and it's getting too dark
whilst speaking, he was looking
round to assure himself that he was I'M
observed. and, seeming satisfied, began
to further examine the contents of the
young mans pockets and to transfer
the portemonnaie, a letter or two,
handsome gold watch and chain and a
scarf-pin, to his own.
What are you doingr timidly
asked.
as Mind your own business he said;
. do as 1 tell you and hold your tongue.
I'll go for the doctor myself but first
of all we must get him into the house.
Here, catch hold Of his feet
Then, without listening to my pro-
tests, my husband raised in his arms
the slim, helpless form of the young
man, and, with my assistance. carried
him along the path, under the shadow
of the high wall and trees, into the
house and laid him on a sofa in the lit
tie breal<fast-parlor.
Light a candle and pull down the
blind, get some water and brandy, he is
not quite dead, said my husband. whilst
examining the dead man s pocket-hand-
kerchief. No initials. Nothing to
identify him by. Good Now L will
60 for the doctor you stay with him.
Put little more brandy TO his lips from
time to time. loosen his necktie-so,
and now, mind, when 1 return with the
doctor. if there have been any signs of
or il the poor fellow
speaks at all. keep it to yourself don't
say a word, you can tell me when the
doctor is gone. The man is not dead,