Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-31
DAILY SHORT STORY
HER DISAPPEARANCE.
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[OriginaL1

| ural she should fear that the man size
| married would be influenced by this
rather than a disinterested love. How
ard Wright was the man who won her
preference, and she only hesitated to
accept him OH account of this dread.
| Howard had no fortune. He had been
| graduated 1T the law and had only
commenced its practice. After much
| hesitation on account Of the disparity
of their resources and Il halting encour-
agement from Adelaide he proposed to
her. She took the proposition under
! adviSement
True love" she argued. such love
as l wish for is constant. If Howard
| loves me as he says he does. he viii
wait Il long time for me. and if l die
he will never marry. Why can't l die
and come to life again a few years
later just to see how true he has been
to my memory? Why not disappear
| and be fOrgOtten:'
The idea having once found a lodc-
! ment. she put it into execution. She
! was we'll situated TO do so. having no
| parents or brothers or sisters. She
made viii tying up her property for
two years after her death, then. taking
! all the ready money she required. went
| abroad. first giving Howard a favOra-
| BILE answer To his suit. She wrote him
from LONDON. from Paris. from Con
stantinopIc. This was the last heard
from her directly. News came that an
American lady had disappeared from Il
| steamer on the Nile whose baggage
showed plainly that she was Miss Adj
elaide Warren.
Howard Wright was loath to believe
that his tiaucee had walked into the
Nile either lis a SOmnambuliSt or 4
suicide or while suffering from delir-
ium. He rather believed that she had
not gone aboard the steamer. as was
supposed. However. when three months
passed with DO news of her he Scraped
together what money he could and
went abroad to investigate the matter
At Alexandria he deived into it. ques-
tiOning those employed on the steamer
from which Adelaide had disappeared
aS well as police officials. but could
find no clew. After month spent in
these fruitieSs Investigations he con-
Guided to go home; but. meeting a col
lcge claSSmatc. Louis Hunt. who had
|
himself for q profcSSorShip of the
Greek language ana literature. Howard
was persuaded to 90 over with him TO
Athens. Hunt was studying in Athens
and had gone to Egypt on brief tour.
Howard was Respondent at the loss
Of his bptrothCd, with whom he had
been very much in love. Indeed. since
there was doubt as TO her death. he
loved her still. He was therefore lOath
to go with his friend. but the young
professor told him that he wished him
TO see Greek lady with whom he WAS
much in love and whose consent to
their marriage he expected on his re
turn. While searching for the home of
one of the Greek poets he had encOuu-
tered her in village near Athens.
Hunt had found her a more interesting
study than the homes of the poets. She
was well educated, had spent many
years i'll England. spoke the English
language perfectly and was personally
very attractive. Her name was Helena
MerianiS.
When they arrived in Athens the
lyOuug professor drove out alone to re
ceivc an answer to his proposition OF
marriage When he returned he was
jubilaut. having been accepted, though
he WAS much chaGrined at having been
obliged to promise to become Greek
citizen and live with his wife in that
country. In vain he had tried to move
the lady by telling of the position
awaiting him in America and his I'M
fitness 10 make Il living i'll Greece. She
only reiterated that she would not 20
to America and would live in the villa
which she was then occupying.
"Go with me to see her tomorrow,
> Howard" said Hunt. land put the case
TO her for me. AZ l could not put ii
T. myself"
Howard consented, and the next
= morning the two drove ont TO Helena
MerianiS' villa. The grounds were
. spacious, through which a carriage
way led to the house. Hunt saw fig
uTe at an upper window and waved
, his handkerchief. Wright was think
ing of his own lost love and unmind-
. full of everything else. The figure dis
70 appeared from the window, and the
i men alghted at the portal. Hunt told
+ servant to go and tell his mistress
K that he had brought a friend to call
(. upon her.
. 10 Hunt the servant returned and re-
; ported that his mistress must have
= gone ont since she was not TO be found.
j. Hunt angrily replied that he had seen
T. her at Il window and started to look
2 FOR her himself. He went through the
l. house and, not finding her, frightened
: at her sudden disappearance, called
+ Wright 10 join him. and the two scour-
ell the grounds inclosed in a high wall.
They approached the stable and found
the door locked. Hunt climbed in at
2 a window and unfastened the door,
r which had been locked from within and
I the key left in the lock. Wright enter
] ! ed. and at the same moment a footsteD
f was heard on the floor above. Mount
5 ing a ladder, they found themselves in
{ a hayloft. Making their way around
to an interval between the wall and
the hay CrOrrsheT N fbar