The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-08-25
INGENIOUS SIR TOBY.

l0sfss0H run
An elderly gentleman. whose chief
idiO~yncrasies are . rooted aversion 70
Death and . fervenf hatred for his heir
and successor. 10 not exactly . nosei
character either in real life or on the
stare. Bur there IL msterisl differ
eues In, bis behavior in the two sit1a-
tsons. for whereas GA the stage fe -
almost invariably tarned TO repentance
bs the A~au1 v<sy Of the young lady
whom his heir has married. or oy The
msssdening pratsle Of her itrssonie
child and dies TN the odor OF sanctify
distributing indisefiminate blessings.
In real life he more often than not car
ries his spite with him 10 the grave
and leaves his posterity good reason
TO execrate his memory in the shape
Of an ontrageousiy malicious viii. CIR
Toby guuskin. OF Bunskin Hall. Fai.
iowlsnd. and 30 6rosyenor square,
was not al all like the traditional old
gentleman OF the stage. His hatred
for his heir, Captain Jack Bunskin OF
the Fiftieih LanceYs, was not esagger-
afei, and dill not befray him into fool
ish excuses. but IL was extremely
sincere; ali the more so. perhaps. be
cause IL was absolutely unreasonable,
and If any mutual fried had ventured
10 prophecy that sir Toby would end
by welcoming ack To the ancestral ball
aud the avuncuiar bosom. be would
promptly have been set down rs q lu-
matte OF the most pronounced type.
II was. IN truth. very hopeless case,
and Jack Bnnskin had long ago recon
ciled himself 10 q precarlous existence
on his pay. his wits. and the money
he could raise By mortgagIng his
reversion 10 certain family estates
which sir Toby had not the power OF
willing away from him. Now. although
sir Toby hated Jack so heartily. it
must not he imagined that he was
sufficiently lost "a the decencies Of so
crety ~ TO ignore his existence, "a in
suit him in public. or even to Re point
eddy rude To him in private. Jack was
always asked down 20 Bunskin hail
for the cover shooting, he was ex-
pected To- assist At the annual rent
dlnner of sir Toby's tenants, and
nj certain liked seasons he was
formally invited to Grosyenor
square. But there Sir Toby's recog-
milton of his relative began aud ended.
lie would not allow Jack a sixpence,
nor would he have lent him 40 10
save him from the bankruptcy court,
or even from suicide. The oaronet
was not very old-he was barely sixty
and for bodily sigor many man of
hse-and-for might have envied him.
He rode regularly TO hounds. was an
experienced and successful deer
stalker, and could cast salmon lis
with the best fishermen in Scotland,
and he was addicted 10 none OF the
excuses which sometimes shorten the
lives of men who indulge in hard ex-
eesses, for he neither ate too much
nor drank too freely. In fact. he took
excellent care ol himself. and vas on
very good terms With his doctor. His
trienas said that he delighted IN the
idea Of keeping Jack out OF his in
heritsuce as long a. he possibly could
Now, all men have their small weak
nesses, and one OF the most pro-
nounced of Sir Toby's was a passion
for literature and for plays of a sensa-
tionai and blood-curdiIng description.
He reyeiesi in penny-dreadiuts and in
soul-moving meiosi rama. he delighted
in complicated plots of missing heirs.
forged Wills, mysterious murders anu
buried treasure. There was reason to
suppose that many OF bis strong boxes,
which presumably contained title
deeds ansi ancient leases. were in re-
aiity stuffed with rejected manuscripts
and stiliborn dramas, declined With
thanks by purhllnd publishers and
managers. sir Toby was firmly inn
pressed with the idea that had bis sta
ton aud his duties been otherwise. he
would have made his fortune a. de.
tectiye, and nothing pleased him SO
much as enoeayofing 80 discover the
idenuty of an undetected murderer oY
the motive of q mysterious dtsap-
pearsnce. Whenever such an event
occurred, which Was pretty often, Sir
Toby used To indlte long episties 10
the Tasss. setting forth his theories.
which. after ali. frequently turned out
to he quite as near the truth a. those
of The professional detective
IL was one dsy ia early spring that
. great idea .oecuFrea Ia Sir Toby
Bnnskin. lie felt IN = peculiarly mis-
aathrople hnmor. for Jack hsd been
staying with him, and uncle and
nephew bad contrsvel Ia quarrel even
more seriously than usual. More
over. there hal been published certain
damaging facts III connection with
one ar two charitable institutions to
which ar Toby had intended Ia leave
the greater part ot hts fortune. and he
began tn think that even lack might
not pas his money "a much worse
use than pack of cvsFpaid. greedy
officials. II was IN this humor that
he had TAKEN NJ a Newspaper and
studied TIE strange disappearance OF
Mr. Jahez brown, an eminent Mud
ford merchant and millionaire,
sno hsa vanished from
mortal Ken in the most un-
expected manner and without The
slightest apparent reason The am
aseag detective vas strong in Sit Toby
- visual. and he fell 10 fanssng over
the fate el Mr. Rrown. and te evolve
All manner ol theories Which might AZ.
eoani for his absence i.e Was rieh
emsaently respecsaale ami uniyer
sally loakeSi up 10 IN the commercial
world. An examination 81 his affairs
has proved exyonsi doGet taag ne
nsneiai embarrassment existed! Then
he wss a moral Essan, and there vas no
suspicion that he bad ea0pe3 with
ssaaletSsiv eisss vile or, indeed that
lady eas n Any way Connected With
The case. lie ~ perfectly sane and
Ia gpcsi health. and 10 conceivable
reason essszld be Iga zeinesi for his coaa-
Knitting suicide.
lie may have he~n murdered. og
cosTse. theUgat SiT Tuhy hns this
ssaasseo seNmsi common ace
there u1ay - Soaau N ne esse
lSssssi, ! eesieTe he = alive. at any
rate. HE NAV have aisapEszrsd eat
Of pare esgste~ found his rsSponSl.
hssisseS Too trloG hseSosae or Nerhaps
be ssnssss ~ sksts svgnetscssy Thss
last notion sexweA - tassrest -
Geay-.t q a. really original that :
tEasa slssss3AI disappear fer sssch a gssss.
tive. he psafs.Asrnss deeply Ser several
minutes, and thea &c Aaa,i ~ aIgn~ sif
asiss 8 . 3 and deliberately. he mas
has~ ssAtes3 so sEstc hls As.T And
sasn ~ koby ea0ckae<i 4 iasstv
tsss@ ~ sssEst1gu.est 'etsax Ero~ :,
saGsk asNs 81 Assg~-wveFy hs.fs has a.
n~sgy rxefE asaAy AFswa iss.
sPTeSgs sssi2Esss IL heir ens
ssAsch AsaSs kro2H ~hsss1y goand
81 KAs TaAa.ss nGuca dc
sansp~sssf eat easily tsleHuaeG a.
tAss II frosH ~ servants in pSy =
AssF- As-r takes ressesssoE u property