The Red Cloud chief., 1885-07-03
A MYSTERIOUS VALISE.
The Story Told by an Ex-Life-
Guardsman.

sentry. Will you kindly keep your
eye O. my bag for a few minutes?
am going to have a plunge in the Ser
pentine.' said a well-dressed. middle.
aged gentleman to me, one warm sum.
mer morning a few years ago. as 1 was
on duty at the park gate of Knights.
bridge Cavalry Barracks.
-'All right. SIR" I replied. "If | am
relieved before your return. l shall hand
it over to the next sentry"
''Oh. l shan't be more than half an
hour at the latest, As I must be in the
city by nine. l prefer leaving my va
Use with you; there are SO many vaga-
bonds always swarming about Hyde
Park, that it is quite possible that One
of them might take a fancy to it while
j am bathing. Ii doesn't contain very
valuable property-only a suit of clothes
and u few documents of no use to any
one but the owner rs the saving is.
All the same, however. l have no desire
TO lose it." So saying. the gentleman
turned away. aud walked briskly across
the park in the direction of the Serpen-
tine.
The request to look after his property
did not in the least surprise
me Al numerous rObberies from the
clothing Of persons bathing had for
some time before been reported to the
police. l lifted the bag-upon which
the letters w. N. were painted, and
which was in the battered condition in
dicative of having been much tumbled
abOut-and placed it behind the low
wall that lay between the barracks and
the footpath.
The barracks clock struck eight.
Fully half an hour had elapsed since the
owner of the bag departed. and as vet
there was NO sign of him; the quarter
past" was chimed from the neighbor.
ing clocks, and still he did not turn up;
and. rs the inmates passed. l thought
to myself that it was time he was look.
ing sharp il he really wished to be in
the city by nine.
About half-past eight l perceived q
great cOmmOtion in the park. Men
were rushing from all quarters in the
direction Of the ~Serpeutine; and soon
afterwards ascertained from q passer-
by that the excitement was caused by
one Of the numerous bathers having
been drowned. An uneasy suspicion
was at once excited within me that the
person who had come to such a sad end
was tho gentleman who had left his
valise in my charge. which suspicion
was intensified when / was relieved NJ
nine. with the article still unclaimed. l
reflected. however. that its owner NAV
have been chained to the scene of the
disaster BY that morbid curiosity which
induces people 10 linger about the SPOT
where any calamity of the kind has re-
Gently occurred. and then. finding that
he was pressed for time. and knowing
that his property would be perfectly
safe. had gone direct to the city.
I handel over the bag to the sentry
who relieved me without mention
ing to him anything Of the circum-
stances of the case: and when he
returned from duty 1t eleven. l eagerly
asked him II the valise had been called
for.
mo- he replied; sit is stin lying
behind the wall"
Invent on sentry again at one O'Clock
and no one had come for il 1t Was the
height Of the London season and Hyde
Park presented its customary gay ap-
pearance; bat the imposing array Of
spaendidly-appointed equipages. DASH
ing ouuostxiens and Acknowledgements
la2ies and gentlemen. which 1t other
Dimes WA to ne . most interesting
0ectao1e. that afternoon passed BY un-
keeded. . I'll my thoughts were cen
onrpd On weculalions regarding tie fAse