The Monitor-register., 1896-07-24

diamond fields, enabled him to retire.
In two months was to be married.
One night sat up late, thinking, by the
fire. The season was October, and the
chill in the air made fire desirable, if
not necessary. The curtains were not
drawn, as the hunters moon was shin
ing, and | am at all times fond of moon
light. When one is in love one simply
adoros it. The windows were such as
are called Freueh-that is to say, they
opened to the ground, and windows and
doors in one, They commanded the ter.
race.
1t was my fathers habit every evening
before retiring to smoke q pipo on the
terrace, and as sat by the fire, with the
lamp turned down 80 as to enjoy the
moonlight, | could see him walking mp
and down the terrace. could SEQ him If
L chose-I actually saw his shadow. The
moonlight fell through the two long win
dows on the polished oak floor and ORR
entail rugs, As sat saw his shadow
flung on the floor before window number
one, then couple of seconds later on the
floor before window number two. Then
ensued a minute, as he walked to the emo
of the terrace, then In reverse order came
his shadow in the light of number two,
and then, after momentary interval, his
shadow obscured the light from number
one.
How long this went on | cannot tell.
Presently it stopped. did not partiou-
larry notice when. / 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 answered "Yes," as
my father, l said, had done his pipe and
come in. l concluded 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 and waited for him.
"Please, MISS" said tho housemaid,
master left the lamp burning in his
study all night"
"Did he ?" said l.
1t vas unusual. lie was methodical In
all he did. The tea would spoil unless
he came quickly. rang for the butler.
"Will you call your mastera He must
have oversight himself Say there is
griiled partridge, and it is getting cold,
and the tea will taste bitter"
Presently the butler returned.
"Piease, miss, the master is not in his
room. He has not been there all night.
The bed has not been disturbed. The hot
water has not been 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 had seen his
shadow pass for the last time. | could
not tell within half an hour when I had
last seen it. l could not indeed swear
that the shadow had seen was that of
my father, as had not looked at him
through the window.
All that could say was that it was his
custom about that time every night to
walk the terrace, and that therefore prob
ably he had walked it the night he dis
appeared, 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. The bandit had murdered
him and made away with his body for the
sake of the diamond.
OF course we took action the moment
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 purloined while in our service.
There was handkerchief that had my
fathers initials, tie to which / 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 were alone, so that he may have worn
the tie and breastpin on the last occasion
we dined together. cannot say. had
not noticed what he then wore.
Nothing further to compromise the
Eman was discovered. but that was not
wonderful-fonr days elapsed since the
disappearance of my father before the
police searched the bandits lodgings
time enough for him to make away with
the diamond. What he had done with
my fathers body, where he had seoreted
J it, we could never find.