Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-08-08


such as are called French, that is tc
say that they opened to the ground
and were windows and doors in one.
They commanded the terrace.
1t was my fathers habit every even
ing before retiring to smoke pipe on
the terrace, and as sat by the fire,
with the lamp turned down, SO as to
enjoy the moonlight, l could see him
walking up and down the terrace.
| could see him if I choose; I actually
saw his shadow. The moonlight fell
through the two long windows on the
polished oak floor and oriental rugs
as sat saw his shadow flung on the
floor before window No. /, then d
couple of seconds after on the floor
before window No. 2. Then ensued q
minute as he walked to the end of the
terrace, then in reverse order came
his shadow in the light of No. 2, and
then after momentary interval his
shadow obscured the light from No. l,
How long this went on cannot tell.
Presently it stopped. ! did not par
ticularly notice when; I was thinking
of my presents.
Some 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, I said,
had done his pipe and had come in. I
concluded he had come in because I
no longer saw his shadow, and I judged
from his invariable habit of always
coming indoors when he had done his
pipe.
Next morning came down to break
fast as usual and waited for him.
''Please, miss" said the housemaid,
"master left the lamp burning in the
study all night"
"Did hep" said I. It was unusual !;
he was so methodical in all he did.
The tea would spoil unless he came
quickly. I 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 trace of him could we find.
Suddenly, in the moonlight, he had
vanished. The last I had seen of him
was his shadow on the drawing-room
floor ON the previous night. As con-
sidered, I could not say in which direc-
ton l had seen his shadow pass for the
last time. I could not tell within half
an hour when I had last seen it.
could not, indeed. swear that the
shadow I had seen was that Of my
father, as had not looked at him
through the window.
All that I could say was that it was
his custom. about that time every
night, to walk the terrace, and that,
therefore, probably he had walked 1t
the night he disappeared, and his
shadow it probably had been that I
had seen flung on the drawing-room
floor.
Days, weeks passed, and not trace
Of my father was found. I had not
the smallest doubt as to what had be-
come of him nor had my brother nor
any of the neighborhood. ''The ban.
dit" had murdered him and made away
with his body for the sake of the dia-
mond.
OF course we took action the mo-
nent we were sure he had absolutely
vanished. The police watched 'the |
oandit"; they searched the house,
where they did find some articles that
lad belonged to my father, but which
The ex-butler protested he had pur-
oined while in our service. There
vas handkerchief that had my faith
RS initials, tie to which I could
wear and breast-pin, but I could
lot be sure that he had worn these
When he disappeared.
My father did not dress for dinner
When we were alone, SO that he may
lave worn the tie and breast pin on
he last occasion we dined together.
annot say had not noticed what he
hen wore.
Nothing further to compromise the
nan was discovered, but that was not
vonderful; four days elapsed since the
disappearance of my father before the
'olice searched "the bandits" lodgings
time enough for him to make away
nth the diamond. What he had done
nth my fathers body, where he had
ecreted it, we could never find.
We could not imagine how he had
lred my father away from the terrace
nd down back lane, where we con-
sctured the murder had been COM
litted-not that we found evidence
here of a struggle, but that it was the
My place in the immediate neighbor-
God where murder could have been
We had no moral doubt whatever
lat ''the bandit" had murdered my
Ither and had murdered him In the s
ack lane l mention; that he had made 9
i'm insensible by means of chloroform
sfore dispatching him and that my
DOR fathers body was seHeted some 9
bara lila