The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-03-17
HE FOUND THE MAN.

myS)lf beaten q the occasional faSc1na-
ton which compensated for the more fire..
quent discomfort kept me in the Office.
But all this was before the day I was sent
to interview tee wife and daughter Of the
man who had just disturbed society BY
disappearing from it.
Mr.. Grey, so It had been learned from
the notices concerning his disappearance,
had one evening after dinner gone out for
q stroll around the block. He had never
come back. His family was Of course
Frustrated after the manner Of families on
such sad occasions. After giving him
time to come back, sending to his clubs,
bis Office and the houses of his friends his
wife had finally told his lawyers, and sys.
tematic search was begun. The family
had retired from public life and denied
themselves to every one, consequently
my chances for an interview with Mira.
Grey did not see hopeful, but the city ed
itor's air Of granting me the opportunity
l had been longing for made me loath ia
admit my fears.
took the train for the Greys' they
lived a little way out of town-and pre-.
pared myself to meet the servants scorn
and the other attendant evils of such an
assignment. The coach was an ordinary
one, and there were several laboring men
In 1t, evidently travelling to some suburb
where they were to work upon the roads,
for they carried pickaxes and shovels.
There sat opposite me and slightly for
ward a peculiar type of man to whom
found my gaze wandering every few min.
utes. His iron gray hair was thick and
very unevenly out. His face wa covered
with a stubbly growth Of gray beard. &c
looked unwashed, unkempt and generally
unpleasant. = His blue overalls were stain.
cd with red clay and his red flannel shirt
opened at the front in a way that revealed
anything but q beautiful neck, burned
and blistered. But the mans twitching
lips and convulsive m~ovementsof the jaws
attracted my attention, and his deep ssS,
steely blue eyes that burned in cavernous
sockets fascinated me. He did not talk TO
the other men, but sat with his head sunk
upon his breast, only occasionally raising
1t to cast q look about him. he, with the
other laborers, left the train at Forestville,
where the Greys lived, and I soon saw
them, under the direction Of a foreman,
assigned to make various road repairs.
OF course Mrs. Grey would not see ma
I sat in the library while the servant took
my card to her, for there were other callers
In the drawing room. Over the mantel
hung a picture, presumably Mrs. Grey,
| done in oil. She was as beautiful as q
i cameo and as hard. Opposite hsr was the
| portrait of O clean shaven man, with fine
iron gray hair brushed off his forehead-a
more plebeian cast Of countenanoe, but
strong and interesting. The face seemed
familiar. I stared at it until the servant
returned.
"!Mrs. Grey is sorry, miss, but she can
see no one, and has nothing to say fo1
publication"
every WE'LL" said I. Then I rose to go.
SIS that Mr.. Greyf" I asked, noddine
toward the picture.
"Yes, MISS" was the reply, and sud.
| denly it flashed upon me where I had seen
those deep set, curiously shaped, keen blue
eyes. My heart leaped almost into my
mouth. I took n long look at the por'
trait and left the house.
The men were repairing the road, and
| noticed one Of the workmen whose face
| startled me. The resemblance to the por'
trait I had seen Of Mr.. Grey was remarka.
| BILE. He worked with a fierce delight In
the severe labor. His face seemed more
mad than ever, with the exultation OF mo-
ton and strength deepening the gleam In
his eyes.
There was q telegraph Office at the end
Of the street. I sent a message to the city
editor. "Send a man to Forestville at
once" was my command. Then while !
paced the street and walked about the
square I reflected upon the welcome !
would receive If I had made a mistake.
Every minute I became mo Q and more
convinced that I had made the most colos'
sal blunder on record. By the time Mr..
Ellington Ellsworth, the only man who
happened to be available when my tele-
gram was received, had arrived I was
nearly hysterical. I told Mr.. Ellsworth
my theory, and he was properly skeptical.
he discouraged me thoroughly In about
two minutes, but I suddenly rallied.
"Well," I remarked, taking command,
II want you to keep that man In sight. ]
shall go to town and get his lawyer. Find
out what train they go in on, and I'll
meet you"
Mr.. Ellsworth didn't wish to act upon
that suggestion, but he finally consented
to do SO. I went in, summoned MIR.
Grey's lawyer and with him met the
workingmen's train. Mr.. Ellsworth, look.
ing bored and unhappy, got out and point
ed out our suspected disappearance to
bis lawyer. My heart stood in my mouth.
Was I to be forever disgraoed or made a.
nous forever?
''Mr. Grey" said the lawyer, stepping
forward, what does this meanp"
And when I saw the man start wildly ]
knew that I was not forever disgraced.
"Well," said the city editor jovially,
"what did they sayp"
"They didn't say anything. They didn't
see me-" .
$50 you didn't get the interview" said
the city editor shortly.
"No," I replied meekly, "but I found
the missing man."
And now, such Is the irony Of fate, the
oity editor, instead Of letting me rest on
my ~laurels, Is always exhortinR me to live
up to the reputation I made In the Grey
case, when I found the missing man,
learned how overwork had worn out his
brain and how in his half orazed condt-
tion he wandered away and returned to
his original occupation in life, to the hor-
ror of his wife with the cameollke face. II
only ! had never been 90 brilliansl-E1'
change.