Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-07-22
THE MISSING MAN.

Dear guest and ghost!
THE MISSING MAN.
(From AL the Year Rouud.]
She was curious sort of woman;
could never quite make her out. Evi.
IDENTIFY she had ga past, ," but she would
not tell me much about it, until mere
accident opened it all up. will not stop
to relate how knew her, but come tc
the point at once.
Her husband must have been man OF
good family, but an utter scamp, gam.
bier, spendthrift and drunkard; all his
own people turned their backs on him.
Dropping lower and lower, he reached g
very low ebb indeed at last, and she had
a bad time of it with him. They had
been living somewhere in Yorkshire, he
racing, betting-heaven knows what,
The Doncaster meeting was coming
round, and he found the region gettin g
too hot for him, SO he made bolt Of it and
came to London, bringing her with him
(they had no children) came, as under
stood, with couple of portmanteaus,
and under an assumed name-of course
she never told me his real one. He took
small, old-fashioned furnished cottage
for three months; a dilapidated place
somewhere near Klburn, quite on the
outskirts, and where the new neighbor-
hood, which has now sprung up, was
only then first beginning to be thought of.
They had been in this precious abode
but for three days, when what happened.
They were without servant-in the
house alone, in fact, the wife becoming
the drudge meanwhile. A high wall sur
rounded the garden in which the cottage
stood, it having been neat little box in
its day, quite in the country. An old
and now almost disused road ran along
one side Of this wall, which had door
in it amongst some thick trees. Well. it
was earl y in September, the weather was
close and sultry, and on the third even
ing as it was getting dusk, she strolled
out and sat down on bench under these
trees near the door, leaving him sulkily
smoking 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 as 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, almost started;
but when I heard the footstep suddenly
totter, then stop close to the door, and
some one stagger against it, I rose from
sheer nervousness. When to this sound
succeeded a long-drawn gasp and moan,
and then heavy thud, as Of the person
falling to the ground, with an instructive
pity l flew to the door, and, drawing
back the lock, gently opened it. There
on the step, lay, as well as I could see
by the twilight, a young weu-dessed
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 hardly knowing
what l did, I 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 playing the
Good Samaritan, and let the man in |!
Do you want to turn the place in an
hospital? He's drunk, no doubt
"With this he reached the spot where
the unfortunate man lay face downwards
upon the edge of the soft. unknown
lawn. Gently turning him over, nv
husband went on:
"'Why, he's dying, if not dead; we
must fetch doctor. A pretty mess
you have got us into, but we must 90
through it honestly, or else who knows
"hat we may be charged with-murder,
perhaps ! Be off and get doctor:
there's red lamp at the second turning
on the left down this road.
~ flew to his bidding, terrified bv
his words, which I 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"
IL returned, and was about to open
the garden door, close to which he was
still bending over the body, when 1 saw
he was examining the contents of large
portemonnaie, which he had taken from
the pocket Of the PROSTATE, unconscious
man. 1t seemed to be full of notes and
gold. l hesitated, but fearing to re-
monstrate, was drawing back the bolt.
when he whispered:
"Stop-wait d minute. Did anyone
see you let him imp
''No one; there is not creature about.
and the road is not overlooked" I an
swered.
"No, nor this corner of the garden
where we are-no, its too much shut By
trees and it's getting too DARK
"Whilst speaking, he was looking
around to assure himself that he was un-
observed, and, seeming satisfied, began
to further examine the contents of the
young mans pockets and to transfer the
portemoDnaie, letter or two, hand
some gold watch and chain and a scarf
pin, to his own.
"Whatareyou doing?"I timidly asked.
" Mind your own business. he said.
"do as tell you and hold your tongue.
III 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 nv 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 shadow of the high
wall and trees, into the house and laid
him on sofa in the little breakfast
parlor that gave upon the lawn by an
open sash window.
hight candle and pull down the
blind, get some water and brandy: he is
not quite dead, said my husband, whilst
examining the mans pocket-handker-
chief: No initials, nothing to identify
him by. Good! Now I will 20 for the
doctor; you stay with him. Put 8 little
more brandy to his lips from time to