Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-08-29


as those of the professional detectives.
1t was one day in early spring that
great idea occurred to Sir Toby Bun
skin. He felt in a particular misan-
thropic humor, for Jack had been stay
ing with him. and uncle and nephew
had contrived to quarrel even more
seriously than usual Moreover, there
had been published certain damaging
facts in connection with one or two
charitable institutions to which Sir
Toby had intended to leave the greater
part of his fortune, and he began to
think that even Jack might not put his
money to a much worse use than a
pack OF Over-paid greedy officials. 1t
up a newspaper and studied the strange
disappearance of Mr.. Jabez Brown, an
eminent Mudford merchant and mill
ionaire, who had vanished from mortal
ken in the most unexpected manner
and without the slightest apparent
reason. The amateur detective was
strong in Sir Toby, as usual, and he
fell to musing over the fate of Mr..
Brown, and to evolving all manner Of
theories which might account for his
singular absence. He was rich, emf
nently respectable. and universally
looked up to in the commercial world.
An examination of his affairs had
proved beyond doubt that no financial
embarrassment existed. Then he was
moral man. and there was no sus-
picion that he had elOped with some
body else's wife-or, indeed, that a
lady was in anyway connected with the
case. He was perfectly sane and in
good health, and no conceivable reason
could be imagined for his committing
suicide.
He may have been murdered, OF
course" thought Sir Toby; but this
solution seemed commonplace-''th there
may be woman in the case. Begad,
| believe he is alive, at any rate. He
may have disappeared out of pure ca
price-found his responsibilities too
troublesome, or gone off in pursuance
of one of those whims that every body
has, or nearly every body. Brown dis
appears-delight of heir-lOng search
after Brown-body found in the Thames
much decompOsed-bu easily identi-
| fed as that of Brown by servants in
pay of heir-heir takes possession of
property-has a splendid time for a
lirvi
vus-Brown alive and well!-promptly
kicks out the heir, and declines all re-
sponsibility for his debts! What a
splendid situation! Wonder how my
dear nephew would like it? I'd give
Is, 900 to see him" And Sir Toby
burst into harsh, unpleasant laughter,
and positively rolled about in his chair
with ghoulish merriment. The idea
pleased him so much that he sat up a
good two hours later than usual. and
when at last he went to bed it was
with a firm determination to carry out
his extraordinary scheme, and to
execute a vengeance upon Jacob
Bunskin the ingenuity of which should
only be exceeded by its completeness.
Upon Sir Toby's preparation it is
unnecessary to dwell. He contrived to
possess himself without suspicion of
several thousand pounds in ready
money. for he had no intention of being
left penniless during an absence that
might be prolonged. He had to make
up his mind as to what country he
should select for the scene of his ad-
ventures, and, after much deliberation,
he fixed upon America, with a view of
enjoying some wild sport in the Rocky
Mountains and elsewhere; he also had
to invent a sufficiently trustworthy dis
guise for himself, and to lay in a stock
of more or less outlandish garments in
order to accentuate the change in his
appearance.
Now, Sir Toby was a smart, dapper
man who dyed his hair black and
shaved clean his face, so he argued
that if he bought a red wig and beard
they would effectually disguise him
until his own beard and mustache had
had time to grow. When this hap
pened he would exhibit his undyed
hair to the public, and with a white
head, a grizzly beard and mustache,
and pair of spectacles instead of his
eye-glass. he felt sure that he could
defy recognition The mere question
of getting away was simple, the main
difficulty, of course. being how to
| furnish Jack with proofs of his death
strong enough to enable him to take
possession of his inheritance. But Sir
: Toby knew that queer things could be
done in America, and once there he
| thought he could easily arrange by
bribery that the body of some unknown
traveller should be identified as that of
Sir Toby Bunskin, Bart. Mindful OF
this necessity he armed himself with a
pocket-bOok containing papers calcu-
lated to place the identity ofthe person
carrying them beyond reasonable
doubt. He also carefully destroyed
every will that he had ever made, for
he wished his nephew to inherit as
much as possible. The greater the
rise" he chuckled. 1.-The greater the
fall. Up like rocket, Jack, my boy,
and down like q stick
When all these preparations were
made. Sir Toby quietly left his home
in Fallowland one day and did not re-
turn to it. His ostensible destination
was the house in Grosvenor Square,
but he passed the night at hotel and
started the next morning for Liver
pool. In his red wig and queerly cut