The Red Cloud chief., 1889-06-07

ing Mr.. Brownlow returned alone. The
maid, astonished, asked for her mistress.
ssShe will not come home" was the gru6
answer. 'You can go to bed"
The next morning the servants rose early
70 gossip over the event. They began to in
quire into the facts. On the day before the
lady's maid, who was acquainted with q
dramatic author, had received some tickets
for the Star Theater. Knowing that the
master and mistress were to dine out, she
had asked for permission to 60 out with the
cook. Mr.. Brownlow, who was in the room
1t that moment, said that he had no need Of
the valet and they might a him with
them also. All the servants had left at
seven O'Clock, leaving Mrs. BrowIow dressed
ready to go out and her husband finishing q
letter. They had not sent for . carriage;
there was q cab stand a few steps from the
house and the weather was dry. From that
moment they knew nothing more.
The master and mistress had been mar
ried Q year. They were evidently rich, be-
cause they lived in q fashionable part Of
Fifth avenue in q charming house beauti-
fully furnished. One could well see that
there wa no lack Of money; the butcher,
the grocer, the baker, etc, had never to
present their bills twice, n at meal times
~pecuniary matters were never mentioned.
Nevertheless, there were often stormy
scenes between them. Mr.. BrOwnlow was
quiet, taciturn and headstrong; he was
never angry, but when he had once taken 1t
into his head that he did Tot want a thing
it was impossible Il make HIM change his
mind. The servants did not K him be-
cause he was cold and naughty. Naturally,
his wife was of IN entirely different charac-
ter; she had many caprices, and became
vehement if disappointed in carrying them
out: she scolded, cried and wept, but, after
al, it was always she who smiled first and
came to embrace her husband. She was
Jealous, did not like her husband to 60 out
alone, particularly IN the evening, and was
anxious to read all the letters he received,
but be obstinately fought for his independ-
ence. did not wish to tell her where he went
or where he had been and declared his in
tention to remain the master of his CORE
s~poudence. Besides such stormy moments,
the two seemed to adore each other, but
their life In common was not without diff
culties.
They received few visitors, and the per-
Sons who came to the house were generally
members of the family or friends. The
iady's parents were mentioned at times, but
they never came to see her.
After having commented ON all these cir
c~umstances, the ~servant found no motive
sufficient to explain why their mistress had
not returned. The valet could endure it no
longer, and he formally asked il he should
Law a plate for madame when he set the
table, and when b woul come back.
LAY the table as you always do and let
me alone" was the answer.
he laid her plate for breakfast, then for
dinner. The next day he omitted it.
The master Of the house was moody and
silent; he renamed absent sometimes for
DAYS. The persons whose habit it was to
call on him arrived Is usual and were re-
celved by him, but nobody knew what he
had said to them. The mystery became I'M
bearabie. The maid determined to call
upon her friend at service in the house
where her master n mistress were to
have dined on the day Of the event She
learned then that the family had waited for
them until eight O'Clock, and that they had
not been seen there. They might have
written. perhaps, since, but NO dispatch
had come on that evening. The lady's
absence became moro and more unac-
~countable. Something extraordinary must
have happened Immediately after the
departure of the servants TO cause the
breaking Of the engagement for dinner.
And where had they dinedl Not at home,
assuredly. II. when they were alone. they
had changed their mind and taken . fancy
not 70 60 out and to din alone, they would
have disturbed the buffet in the dining room
and the cupboard in the pantry. Nothing
had been moved. And then the lady had
not taken any luggage with her, not even . |
vallse. not even . travelling bag. She had
gone away in an evening dress, with moth
ing in her hand, and she had not CONE |
back. |
The story soon spread through the neigh
borh0od. It could interest directly but the |
furnishers Of the house, the baker, the |
butcher, the grocer. etc, who knew Mr.. and
Ars. Brownlow. They said that she was .
very pretty and gracious lady and that they |
did not think she was ver1 happy. They ]