The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-12-16

my presents.
Some time after the butler came in
and asked If he should lock up the
house and shut the shutters. 1 an
swered: YES" as my father, said,
had done his pipe and come in. con-
cluded he had come in because no
longer saw his shadow, and judged
from his invariable habit of always
coming indoors when he had done his
pipe.
Next morning came down to break
fast as usual, aud waited for him.
please, MISS" said the housemaid,
master left the lamp burning in the
study all night"
"Did hep" said l. 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 and 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 all
night. The bed is undisturbed. The
hot water not taken in"
My father had disappeared.
Not a 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
considered, could not say in which
direction 1 had seen his shadow pass
for the last time. I could not tell
within half an hour when 1 had last
seen it. 1 could not, indeed, swear that
the shadow had seen was that of my
father, as I had not looked ut him
through the window.
All that 1 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 1
had seen flung on the drawing-room
floor.
Days, weeks passed, and not trace
of my father was found. had not the
smallest doubt rs to what had become
of him, nor had my brother nor any of
the neighborhood. "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 1.-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-
loined whilst in our service There
was a handkerchief that had my
fathers initials, a tie to which 1 could
swear, and breastpin, but could not
be sure that he had worn these when
he disappeared.
My father did not dress for dinner
when we We're alone so that he may
have worn the tie and breastpin on
the last occasion we dined together. /
cannot say; l 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" lodr-
ings; time enough for him to make
away with the diamond. What he had
done with my fathers body, where he
had seereted it, we could never find.
We could not imagine how he had
lured my father away from the terrace
and down q back lane, where we con-
jectured the murder had been commit
ted; not that we found evidence here
of struggle, but that it was the only
place in the immediate neighborhood
where 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 chloroform
, 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 to 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 us to render it incapable of
Identification.
After awhile--eight months-I mar
ried and went to india. My brother
let the house, as he was unmarried.
Five years after returned from In.
dia with couple Of children, whom the
climate of India did not suit AS the
house was then unlet took it off nv
brother, although associated with such
painful rccollections. The honorable
great-aunt came to pay me visit and
make the acquaintance of her great
great nephew and niece. the latter of
whom was called after her.
One moonlit evening, after the chill
dren had been sent to bed, we were sit
ting together in the drawing-room.
when we began to talk of my poor
father.
1T is rather odd when you come to
think of it," said the honorable great
aunt. "that Jack may be said to have
disappeared before"
How SO, aunt?"
"He was intended for the church.
but didn't fancy 1t. The living of VIII
lowslop-cum-Studge was family liv-
ing and Intended for him. We all
wished 1t, but when sent to Oxford he
did not read, and was ploughed at his
examinations. and then, ashamed to be