The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-08

momentary interval his shadow OBJ
scured the light from No. 1.
How long this went on / cannot tell
Presently it stopped. did not partic-
ularly notice when. was thinking of
my presents.
Soma time after the butler came in
and asked if he should lock up the
house and shut the shutters. l an
swered: Yes" as my father, said,
had done his pipe and come in. I con-
Guided he bad come in because / no
longer saw his shadow, and / judged
from his invariable habit OF always
pipe.
Next morning I came down to break
fast as usual and waited cor him.
''Please, miss said the housemaid.
master left the lamp burning in the
study all night
did hep" said I. 1t was unusual; he
was SO methodical in all he did.
The tea would spoil unless he
came quickly. / rang for the butler.
"Will you call your master? He must
have oversight himself. Say there is
grilled partridge aud it is getting cold,
and the tea will taste bitter"
Presently the butler returned.
please, miss, the master is not in
his room. He has not been there ali
night. The bed is undisturbed The
hot water not taken in"
My father had disappeared.
Not trace of him could we find.
Suddenly, in the moonlight, he had
vanished. The last | had seen of him
was his shadow cast on the drawing
room floor on the previous night As
l considered, could not say in which
direction 1 had seen his shadow pass
for the last time. l could not tell
within half an hour when had last
seen it. l could not, indeed, swear that
the shadow I had seen was that Of my
father, as l had not looked at him
through the window.
All that l could say was that it was
his custom, about that time, every
night, to walk the terrace, and that
therefore probably he had walked it
the night he disappeared, and his
shadow it probably had been that
had seen flung on the drawing-room
floor
Days. weeks passed, and not trace
of my father was found. l had not the
smallest doubt as to what had become
of him. nor had my brother nor any of
the neighborhood 1.-The Bandit had
murdered him and made away with his
body for the sake of the diamond.
Of course we took action the mo-
ment we were sure he had absolutely
vanished. The police watched The
Bandit" they searched his house.
where they did find some articles that
had belonged to my father, but which
the ex-butler protested he had pur-
Joined whilst in our service. There
was a handkerchief that had my
swear, and breastpin, but I.could not
be sure that he had worn these when
he disappeared.
My father did not dress for dinner
when we were alone so that he NAV
have worn the tie and breastpin ON
the last occasion we dined together. I
cannot say; had not noticed what he
then Wore.
Nothing further to compromise the
man was discovered, but that was not
wonderful-four days elapsed since the
disappearance of my father before the
police searched THE Bandits" lodc-
ings; time enough for him to make
away with the diamond What he had
done with my fathers body, where he
had secreted it, we could never find
We could not imagine how he had
lured my father away from the terrace
and down back lane, where we con-
jectured the murder had been commit
ted: not that we found evidence here |
of a struggle, but that it was the only |!
place in the immediate neighborhood !
where a murder could have been COM
mitted.
We had no moral doubt whatever |
that THE Bandit" had murdered nv !
father, and had murdered him in the /
back lane mention, that he had made |
him insensible by means of chloroforn |
before dispatching him, and that my |
poor fathers body was secreted some |
where near our villa
Nevertheless. it was not possible to |
bring the murder home 20 the man,
and when he disappeared shortly after
we were all morally certain he had gone
away to enjoy the profits Of the sale of
the diamond-cut, maybe, into two or
three. SO IS TO render il incap aole Of
Identification
After awhile-eirht nonths-I mar
led and went to India My brother
ct the house. as he was unmarried
Five years after | returned from In
liza with 2 compile of children. whom the
climate of India did rot suit. AS the
house was then inlet took j. of nv
brother, although associated with srch
painful srecoaectioDs- The honorable
yreat-aunt came 20 pay me a visit and
make the acquaintance of her great
yreat nephew and niece. the latter Of
whom was called after her.
One noonlit evening. after the chill
;ren had been sent 10 bed. we were sit
ing together n the drawine-roon.
when we began TO talk of Ely poor
ather
1T IS rather odd when ron come 20
.hink OF IL" said The honorable great
amt. that Jack may Toe said 20 have
disappeared before