San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-06-12

sincerely grateful to him for one thing, and
for another was satisfied he had taken more
than was good for him. | was not sorry,
however, when as 10 o'clock struck-the
solitary game Of cribbage, for which the
long monOlOgue to which he had treated me
had left time, coming to an end simultane-
ously-he suggested that should retire early
and make long night of it.
"You look as if you had not slept for a
week" he added complimentary, land my
pipe is good enough company for me-better
than most. You'll find everything ready for
you upstairs"
l heard and obeyed, and that night slept
like top, so soundly, indeed, that when the
old servant came to call me in the morning
l was only awakened to the fact of his
presence by an agitated appeal to me to
arouse myself. The scared expression of the
mans face and the concern and trepidation
to which it bore evidence, effectually re-
called my scattered senses, and l sprang up
in bed eagerly demanding what was amiss
The MASTER" he gasped out; what has
come to the master! He is not in his room
h. has not slept in it. He is nowhere in the
house-nowhere about the place. What can
have come to hing
His wife was close at his heels, echoing the
inquiry with a look in her face not less
anxious and perturbed than his own, but in
which there mingled a strange suspicious
ness, which even in the shock of the an
nouncemelt which had just been made to
me- l could not but mark and resent. How
in heavens name should l known l de-
manded angrily. "How long is it since you
missed him, and where have you looked for
hlml He was having a pipe in the dining
room when l came up last night
You must have seen him later than that. He
went round with you last thing, l suppose,
, IS be did the night before-as l understand
him he always didF'
Not always. If he gets any sleep in the
daytime worth speaking of, he won't go up
at MS usual time. He'll go round by himself
thea later on, but do my duty by the house
and by him Just the same. | did it last
night. l saw to the doors and shutters as
usual, and put up the chain and bolted and
barred the hall door, could not have slept
IN my bed else-and this morning found the
cham down and the bolts drawn. Lisa here
would have had me go straight to the police
20 set them to find him, but thought there
might have been something in his talk last
night might put us on the track. I've been
with HIM these forty years and I've never
leen him Gs | saw him last night He is not
used TO strangers, and he is too old to change
Lis ways. He was wandering about yester-
day, and talking to himself-Lisa heard him,
and If any harm has come to him its the
worry and excitement will have done it," the
old man wound up viciously.
Before l went to the police, would send
quietly. There had come back upon
my mind as l listened to him very
wildly the half yelled taunts and
jeers to which l had been subjected the
night before, and, with the recollection Of
them, there flashed upon it the possibility
that, wrathful and disappointed at my fail
ure, he had resolved to face the mystery.
whatever it might be, himself. was not
prepared, however, for the effect of the sug-
gestion upon the old couple They stood, as
IL were, transtixed, exchanging look full of
terror and apprehension.
The other housed" they murmured. ''Gone
to the other housen
The woman was the first to recover herself.
II don't believe you, master! You're trying
to brighten us. Don't listen to HIM, Jan. He
knows better than that Mynheer Andrew has
gone there, and so do We"
1T is there shall go to look for him, at
any rate" replied. las to you, you can
please yourselves, 50 long as you leave me to
turn out ami get into my clothes"
made no long business of my toilet, being,
as may be supposed, anything but easy or
happy i'll my mind. Rather to my surprise, af-
ter the tone she had adopted to me upstairs, I
found Lisa waiting below to insist upon my
swallowing some hot coffee Lefore let the
house, and to tell me that Jan had preceded
ME to the CedarS
II was hasty just now,n she said, ''and I
ask your pardon, but / would sooner have
found the master dead in his bed than that
he should be where you say he is. Better
dead in his right mind-a thousand times
better-than alive with us here out of it;
and out of it he will ha been before ever he
went to the old house. You don't know
there's nobody knows but Us three-there are
those that have seen, but they don't under
stand. | tell you would sooner never saw
him again-though God knows how it would
be with Us without him-than that he should
be found So"
1t was with this comforting assurance that
, | set forth. There was no time for thought;
what vas required Of me was action, and
did not let the grass grow under my feet. |
, met the old Dutchman Just outside the gate
at the Cellars. Nothing had been seen Or
. heard OF Alr. Van Deckermann there he
had been satisfied 1t would be SC, but as for
mC-
I Il am not satisfied yet" l said. ''I shall
not 6o satisfied until l have been over the
house. You can come back with me or not,
I as you like"
He did come back with me, though that he
thought me headstrong, if not more, and that
his opinion was shared by the Minchins. was
evident enough What strange Intuition
possessed me do not know, but what had
been at first no more than an idea had GROWN
into conviction. felt sure l shouid find
my host IN the room had myself OCCUPIED
the previous night. In vain did they try h
persuade me that even had Mr.. Van Decker.
mann been insane enough to let himsslf int