The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1907-08-16


casions when she had arrived at & /,
the evening she had found that i,
did not require hia dress clothes pu
out, and had asked her to bring him /
few sandwiches or some light food q
that description, as he intended Il
work alone far into the night.
These slight divergences from hi,
ordinary habits were, every on.
agreed, significant of something. Blu
what that something was nobod,
knew. and the wild suggestions mad.
on all sides seemed to provide no rea
solution.
The last occasion upon which Mr.
Rathbone had been seen by any one
able to report the occurrence was In
the early morning at breakfast. Mrs
Baker. the bedmaker, had cooked the
breakfast as, usual, and had asked hel
master If he would excuse her at
tendance in the evening, as she had
a couple of orders for the Adelphi. in
return for displaying the bills of the
theater in a little shop she kept with
her daughter in a street of Holborn
and wished to see the play.
"My master seemed in his usual
Spirits the good woman had said in
an interview with a member of the
staff of the Westminster Gazette
"He gave me permission at once to "a
to the theater, and said that he him.
self would be out that evening. There
was no trace of anything unusual in
his manner. When I arrived in the
morning and opened the door of the
chambers with my pass key, went
into the study and the sitting room as
usual, lit two fires, turned on the bath
made cup of tea and took it to Mr.
Rathbone's bedroom. There was no
answer to my knock, and when ]
opened the door and went in, think.
ing he was oversleeping himself,
found the bed had not been slept in
This was very unusual in gentleman
of Mr.. Rathbone's regular habits. 1t
would not have attracted my notice
in the case of some gentlemen l have
been in the habit of doing for. who
We're accustomed to stay out without
any intimation of the fact. But
think it strange in the case of Mr..
Gerald, always very steady gentle.
man. I waited until nearly 1 o'clock
but he did not return. l then went
home and did not go to the chambers
again till 6 o'clock, when found
things in the same state as before
the fires burnt out. and no trace OF
anybody having entered. AS left the
inn asked the porter if he had seen
Mr.. Rathbone, and he replied that he
had not returned. The same thing
happened for the next two days, when
the porter communicated with the all.
thorities of the inn and an inspector
of police was called in
The interview disclosed few more
facts of Importance, save only one
This was that Mr.. Rathbone had
dressed for dinner on the night of his
disappearance. His evening clothes
were not in the wardrobe, and the
morning suit he had been wearing at
breakfast was neatly folded and
placed upon a chest of drawers ready
for Mrs. Baker to brush it.
This seemed to show individually
that the barrister had no thought o.
being absent from home that night.
= There the matter had rested at first
Meanwhile, as no new discovery was
made and not the slightest ray OF
light seemed forthcoming, the public
interest was worked up to fever heat
Rathbone had few relations, though
many friends. His only surviving rel.
alive appeared to be his uncle, a
brother of his mother, who was the
dean of Bexeter. The clergyman was
interviewed, and stated that he gener.
ally received letter from his nephew
every three weeks or so, but nothing
in the most recent letter had been un.
usual, and he was as much in the
dark as any ordinary member of the
public.
This much was known to the man
in the street. But in society, while
the comment and amazement were nc
less in intensity, much more was
known than the outside world suspect
ed.