Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-26


Court TO go bail for the hot-headed youngster
| IL was only burst of the old Chester chivalry,
| Mrs. Crosby and her daughters, in due time,
| put on the customary suits of solemn black. A
VIII, found In old Cros6ys writing desk, was :,
| there had never been such man as Theodore
| Francis Crosby.
| 1t was hard, as Arthur was won't to say, that
| a man should go under SO utterly, leaving not
| ripple on the surface to show where he went
| down. But by midsummer Crosby's name was
| never mentioned by his old friends except in
an indolent, halfinquiring way, If the
speaker wondered where Crosby had vanished to
/ and was too Indifferent to the subject to pursue
1 it. But / noticed that Arthur did mourn tor
/ poor old Crosby. He took "a morbid satisfaction,
IL seemed TO me, In talking over the case, dis
cussing its probabilities and possibilities. / see
/ him now, the prematurey sobered young chap,
sitting on the foot OF my bed while make up
| my mind 10 rise and dress nursing his leg In a
/ quaint old-tashioned way like elderly man
aud suggesting a variety of curious theories to
| account Tor Crosby's absence.
| We are not an imaginative family, we Ches-
| tiers, and i am inclined to think that Arthur
| got his fertility of imagination from his father
| Arthur Spenser, senior, was a political writer.
| 1t did not seem to me wholesome tor the young
man that he should dwell SO much on Crosby's
| mysterious fate, now that we had all settled
l down to the belief that he was good as dead.
And did not like the way in which my grand
nephew greedily absorbed all the stories of
mysterious disappearance that he found in the
newspapers And, come TO think of it, there
were great many. do not know that there
were more disappearanees unaccounted for then
| than had been usual But it did seem, now that
we had one OF our "very own,' on hand, as II
| there were nothing but mysterious disappear
ances going on about Us. As Arthur gloOmily
said, "the woods were full of Them"
/ one night, or rather morning, tor it was well
on towards the beginning OF a new day, found
/ Arthur In my chambers when l returned from
| a late dinner. had given him pass-key since
! he had been thrown more than usual on my
hands by his morbid dislike for society. felt
that there was something wrong in a young
| fellows giving up SO much of social pleasure as
he had since Crosby's departure; and could
I not "A
made SO deep an impression on the lad. But
| submitted to his varying humors and waited.
.rt ha,io, you dlsreputa5ie OLD uncie!~ cried
have you been with that white tie under your
ear like hangmans knot? And there's a
great blob OF something red on your shirt-1ront.
| burgundy" he said, examining it critically.
! clos de Eougeot? OR Musigny? 1 know Bond
/ gives good dinners; but that is no reason why
| you should stay out so late.''
| You young scamp" retorted, sit Is due to
restraining grace that you are under the cover
| rampaglng round into all sorts of don't know
what places. Disreputable. indeedr'
But Arthur so0erly protested that he was
| done with the vanities of this life. ave an
idea he exclaimed.
"lS IL posSiOle?'
Now, honest Indian, Uncle Bob, 1 have an
| Idea that MIR. Crosby has gone To Switzerland"
And what put that into your head?"
| "See here. You know how old Crosby used TO
| go ON about mountains, their comfortab eness
| TO mind distraught, their cheerful and solemn
companlonship. and ali the rest. Well, he has
the businesses Oh some mountainous country for
| refuge from his own kind"
"A line theory and not wholly unreasonable,
Arthur
Thanks, awfully"
But what were the worries with which poor
ora SFosoy was over-burdened, as you say, my
principally that old cat, his wife,"
Oood gracious! Arthur, you don't know
that outside oil these four walls. You would get
US both into no end Of trouble"
y don't intend to, Uncle Bob; but you mark
my words III you ever do get to the bottom OF
tins mystery, you will find that old Crosby was
henpeched husband. Don't tell me- know"
Ana the lad slook his head with a knowing
| air.
We sat, as was often our custom at that time.
lar INTO the morning, talking over the various
| topics suggested by the mysterious disappear
ance of Crosby. That day, the newspapers mad
pubiisheu an account OF the finding OF the body
| Oh an unknown young woman, pretty Weil-clad
| and evidently delicately nurtured And the odd
thing about the case was that, as soon as the
FACTS were made public, the officials having the
matter IN Charge were run down with appIica-
lions from 1nnumerable relatives Of missing
| girls.
There must have been a regular army of
missing young women of whose sad plight We
| never should have heard if this poor dumb and
unknown thing had not been turned up. Here
Is one OF the hundred-what has become OF the
other ninety and nine?'' And Arthur smiled
grimly as he lighted cigar.
lake care! Don't set fire to that lamp
snade; II real lace, you rogue. There are no
| ninety ana nine missing girls, my son; the anx-
ious inquirers are only morbid seekers alter a
| new horror"
ION, but they give names and dates and
Places ana all that sort OF thing. Oh no. YOU
ctl sheer that down. The young women are
| That's what gets me-"
We'll, weii," said, testify, 81 have no con-
Germ IN any OF these things, and it is very poor
business Tor you to be bOthering Your head
about. Get out; am going to bed
49, Ihere Uncle Bob, don't get on your ear just
| as you are going TO bed. 1t isn't healthy ri
| take brisk spin up to the OxOnian Tie ave
| nue. Is empty now, and the walk will help to
GEAR the cobweos out OF my BRAIN" So saying
the me young fellow gave me parting mug
stairs.
,, Next morning. loitered about my rooms be-
fore going out TO breakfast. hoping that Arthur
would drop in on his way down town and give
me chance to say "a few pleasant words by way
oi alohenent Tor the spark OF ill-temper I had
shown at parting, the night before But he did
| not come, and as had an engagement TO dine
9r re, orae hignt, II Was unusually late when
occurred the next day, but by that time had
begun TO wonder mildly that he did not CALL
| disregal artificial divisions OF time and when
We were sufficiently awake to talk il mat1ereu
not what was the hour by the clock. So, reflect
1 ing that Artnur might have had two dinner en-
gaSements In succession, and had neglected to
| mention them, addressed myself to sleep.
But was not a little startled next Inornin0
| when Tlppoo Saib, as Arthur called the ,abie
attendant at the OxOnian, came TO nv door IN
| say That some OF the young gentlemen at the
ID. IL
| rected him to come and ask MIR. Chester If he
knew where Mr.. Arthur was. He had moi been
seen at his rooms 1Or two or three DAYS He
had an appointment TO dine with 1.-The boys', on
the night before, but had not appeared nor had
| ne sent message, thing Unprecedented with
Arthur, and, may add, a thing unprecedenfed
| with any one by the name of Chester He had
not been seen, so far as l could hear since the
| hour OF hiS leaving my chambers.
| A strange lear shoOk'me. Was this anot her
| mysterious disappearance? / sought to banish
| the suggestion as foolish. Arthur not wjthsfand
/ ing his Whlm-w hams, was a sturdy healthy lad
| IuIl Oh the chester common sense, and no COW.
| ard, TO shirk LIES burdens or societys oblioa
! Nevertheless, went with what haste conId
/ to Arthur's rooms in the Oxonian. as if I mioht
ind some trace OF him there.
| Iney were charming rooms, filled with tho
| memorabilia that u college man Dicks nm
/ things that are silly in the eyes of the nninn,
| tereste0 and ignorant visitor, but priceless to
| the owner OF the key to the treasl,re-honse n
| was sunny apartment and the rays of morn
| ing streamed golde ally in, glorifying bric-a-
| Drac, pictures boxing gloves foils, prize f1ags
/ souls, and the refined disorder of The stuGv
table, where Moorish dagger was laid across
the open pages Of the latest novel, A group
oil haiiexpectant, half-apprehensive Oxonians
| stood around me as l took a survey of the
room. - ~
Nothing here to afford hint as to the
youngster whereabouts" said with whim-
| steal and iutlie attempt to be joily
Nothing here" they all said in a chorus
Ana then one OF the young fellows began fin
gering the dainty notes on the table, as if they
might give a clue. l placed my hand on his
anu SAID, my nephews property, If you please