The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-01

-, ~ fssvsslhg ~ 1nsts lg sueh
pssy Viii ne II Englsnd.
Thug In pame ! was s&uasian count.
II religion md In upbringing and IN
every tsrte and sentiment that pos'
sessed / was ap Englishman. sent ny
mother long telegram from tho hotel.
/ 5itreated her to let me know whether
my father lived, whether Oxford walfo
be- given up Hpally or Professionally qSy.
and whether could stay . day or&w
inst to collect my things, buy clothes.
and 90 forth. A.
Ny mother replied by noon DIV
following day that-but stay, ] hav
the astounding message by me to this
hour. The reader Of my memoirs shall
enjoy the advantage Of being utterly
puzzled and bewildered, just as was.
for assuredly the message was one OF
the most surprising and bewildering
that ever schoolboy received. for school
boy practically ! still was, though ac-
tualiy had left Toddlestons the DAY
before yesterday.
Here IL the telegram, my mothers
ipsissima yerba:
=. Father disappeared. Cannot explain. Come
soonest possible. want you. Afraid must re-
pounoe oxford present. Make arrangements
possible return later II happier circumstances
ensus.
Poor, dear motherl She must indeed
have been in sore strait to have sent me
such message as this!
She wanted me, however. That was
enough. She must have me, poor dear,
as quickly as the railway could take me
to her. Oxford might 60 hang. There
was time enough for Oxford.
The Finishing express started from
Victoria at 8 80 tonight. I should catch
it without fail. Poor, dear old mother
in distress and father Disappeared
When man disappears in England
or America, one goes and drags the
neayest pond and gives notice at the
police station. But what of disappear
ance in Russia7 Alas, man may dis
appear in many ways in our country
or could, for, though but few years
have passed since the time Of which /
write things are improving by leaps
and bounds; light Ia spreading-God's
light Of civilization. Ones first thought
In such a case o. my fathers would, Of
course, be a mixed one-spies, nihilists,
police, Siberia. passed rapidly in
thought over all these things in the first
shock Of that word "disappeared."
But banished the idea with scorn.
My father stood high above such things.
He lived in an atmosphere wherein such
matters had no existence. He had no
cause to fear either the police or the
reyolutionists. He was beloved by his
peasantry, for he was an enlightened
and indulgent landlord. In the country
he was power. In town he was uni
versally respected. He took no part in
politics, however, and could scarcely
therefore come under the ban either Of
those who hated or of those who admin
istered the law.
In word, it was hopeless to attempt
to conjecture what the meaning Of my
mothers message could be- Such at
tempts only led to feeling Of helpless
despair, and tried to postpone all con-
sideration Of the matter.
went for walk in Kensington gar
dens to pass away the time, and it was
while standing gloomily on the shores
Of the Round pond, watching the sail
ing Of some tiny yachts, that some one
touched me on the shoulder. ! turned
and saw Percy Morris, the most unex-
pected and yet perhaps the most entire
" welcome person could possibly have
seen at the moment, for Percy was
had been-my greatest friend at Tod
dlestone. He had left last term on ac-
count of his fathers death and his
mothers unexpected poverty, and ] had
missed him badly. He had been ia
Russia with me more than once during
the summer vacation, and felt that
an outpouring Of my story into his sym,
pathetic ears.-for he knew my people
would do me heap of good. lshow-
ed him my telegram. He started.
"Why, man alive" he said, II saw
your father this very afternoon. l
thought you must be staying up here
with him and was just going to ask you
about it,"