Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-03

young man was eagerly catching further
| ming, who, with all his common ways, was
Always well-bred, was actually whispering TO
his eomrade The mystery irked me and felt
But as we approached what Manning now
reused himself to say would be our journeys
| end, the pair regarded me with more friendly
eyes. thought detected In young Tristram's
looks kindly, almost compassionate interest
And did not relish my anomalous position.
do not like being cOmpassionated.
We passed through a big gate after Tristram
had alighted and unlocked and undid the big
chain that fastened 1t to its massive posts. Then
after driving few miles further we passed
through similar barrier and began to wonder
II were not approaching frontier 1ortifcation
Manning, when loosely asked him why all
this precantion, looked at young Tristram and
smiled with what seemed an unpleasant ex
preston. Was / being kidnapped!
Presently, after passing the second gate, we
which here Was beautifully KEPT. Checking hi:
horse, MIR. Tristram said to stout built and
fresh faced elderly gentleman who came to the
door, "All rightt' and as We drove On, de-
tected the rattle OF teiegraphic instrument in
the lodge. although no wires or poles were any
They will be expecting u.s." said young Iris
tram, cheeriully.
The road, soft and smooth as the finest avenue
in the world, swept upward and around dense
mass OF trees, then turning to the left, suddenly
debouched upon a broad and level plateau Be
yond, the land rose in unduating rolls towards
the distant blue wall of \ noun tain range
against which, to my ineA pressible surprise
Houses in groups, not streets, shade and
orchard trees in clumps and long professional
lines, occasional shining spurts OF fountains
Gus i'll bloom or rich in verdure, fields outlying
the picturesque town, gay banners floating here
turrets lawns dotted with masses of color and
| children at play, sparkling stream winding
through the village and SPAWNED with rustic
| brldges,-theSe were what my raviShed vision
| took in with one rapid and bewiidering glance.
What is this Manning? Fairy iand? But
| Manning seemed too deeply affected TO reply.
4
| with kindltng eye. 81 guess we had best stop
here he added, as we drew up before what
seemed TO be a pleasure house of some sort. 1t
| was stone structure, most artistically de-
signed, covered with native vines and
and some OF stone, but all pretty and estheiic-
ally modelled.
party OF men and women, plainly dressed
but looking like gentlefolk, came eagerly out OF
the building. and. exclaiming, ooh, it's Christie
PherE' Tell to welcoming Manning in the
heartiest and most unaffected manner.
| Evidently, Christopher was a favorite here
| alighted as one In a dream, and was about to
| be presented to some OF the members of the
group, when casting my eyes over the beautiful
| lawn, L beheld, saunlering towards me, his
gaze smliingly liked on graceful young
| woman by his side-great Heavens! Arthur
Spen>er.
1 suppose nay eyes were filled with tears. l
suppose cried out some foolish thing. But
realized nothing until 1elt the dear boys arms
around me and heard his we'll known voice cry
ing my precious old Uncle Bob! knew you
! would comet.
Holding him off at arms length, asked,
"what does all this mean? Why nave you not
| written? And how did you get here?'
..Fair and softly, Uncle Boo the lad replied
81 came here, you did, because / couldn't
| help myself. didn't write because it's against
the rules
The rules? What rulese Is this a mad
house? An Asylum" Just then. once-fami-
liar voice cried, Nv here is he? An? Here he is"
and, 10 complete my slowly petrifying amaze
| ment, Crosby, ruddier and in more comfortable
| ease tnan lever saw him before, call.e swiftly
| towards Inc with outStretched hands.
| II nave taken good care OF the boy, he cried.
.Looh at him! Isn't he in good shape, Chester?
| We knew you would come"
"ln heavens name, ladies and gentlemen"
SAID, appeaing To the general public. as it
were were, .unra IRA, s this mystery Why do l md
me, some kind person, ii DREAM
| Then Manning, with a little shamefacedness,
Chester, this is the village Oh the mysterious
| disappearances."
| Nv nat? / gaSped. 'MysteriouS disappear.
! ances.''
That's just what 1t is" he replied, with a
smile Not all The people who have myster-
iously disappeared are here. You see it is not a
/ populous place. But we have all, at sometime
or another, mysteriously disappeared. You
women went who disappear and leave no trace
behind them. Many oil them are here. See!
There is Gen. Pumtree! And. as he spoke, the
genial business man, drove up in light
| wagon, and leaping TO the ground, cried, Nv ny,
| my dear boy, is 1T really your
had heard of the mysterious disappearance
OF Gen. PluIntree. He was supposed To have
been drussed and robbed and put out OF the
way, as they say in Boston. Here he was
| alive and III most substantial flesh.
Now and again, as walked Oh with Arthur
| to his lodgings the company discreetly leaving
! Us together, encountered a familiar lace. Or
| Arthur, pausing in his walk, and covertly
pointing his thumb at a distant figure, would
| say, ''see that man? You read all about his
/ case three years ago. His disconsolate widow
mains, found disfigur and floating in the
tide on Staten Island. Not bit OF it. case
/ OF mistaken identity. That's Mortimer. Short
member. That was "a lie. old Mort is as honest
as the day is long. Besides. he had no accounts
| with anybody but himself.
L seemed 10 be walking in the midst of a com
pany oil specters. Every person met was as
good as d tid to the rest OF the world. was if
! realms OF which tine poet tells US, except that
these men, women and children were not
/ were unusually wholesome aud heart y-ookng
/ people. Evidently, mysterious disappearance
/ was I, healthy business i'll East Tennessee.
! But, even if the rest OF the community were
| ghosts, this, my sou who was dead, was alive
again, was lost and was found. And, as gloat-
| ed ON his handsome and sun-orowned lace,
SAID To myself that all the rest might be
/ dream. Nothing could take from me the
/ happy certainty of this very much alive com-
! lori OF my heart.
/ We had a very pretty and appetizing supper
Sc: Tor us IN one OF the alcoves ofthe recreation
house, winch, iOr the Want OF IL better name,
was called the kursaai. The only drawback
! TO hy enjoyment OF the repast was Arthur's
frequent jumping up and running OFT tor
fresh dishes aud changes. When veDLured to
demonstrate with him on this undignited con-
duct, lie alrly replied:
"Ol, We all do that. We youngsters have to
wait on the oidsters, you see us every man
MS own walter here, you better believe, Uncle
I Bob
. ''W hair exclaimed aghast, shave you no
servants?'
I Certainly not, Uncle Bob. Servants, as a
rule, guess, do not mysteriously disappear.
Al least, il they do, they do not come here. In
this Arcadia, We all take hold and lend a hand
| i'll the general labor of the colony. Every
man, woman and child who work, does
| work In this dining-hall, ii you look around,
You VIII see That the young folks wait on the
elders In the cook room, which is i'll the rear
you Will find the ladies at work. They take
| turns at cooking, washing the dishes and the
like. Then the men take hold in the kitchen
whenever there is a call for volunteers. But
| the women don't like the men To about;
| they mess up things so, they say"
MEN as cooks. Gentlemen, did you say?'
| certainly, uncle. Why not? / have seen
you toss up an Omelette; and must confess
that am no souch at broiIing a steak: and
| they do say that can make as good coffee as
| the best OF en-
But my dear boy" cried, "you do not pre-
| tend 10 tell Inc that you have gone into cooking
| as Il business 10 any great extent? am sure
syInpathlZe with the women in their aversion
| 10 having man fussing around in Kitchen
| mo, no. Uncle Bob he replied, 81 only
| there is crisis, it were. My regular business
| Is gardening. am the boss gardener. LOOK at my
| hands. On you may smile, but nobody knows
| what his talent is until he has been brought
| out in a comm unity like this. When a person
| comes here. he is allowed to loaf around for a