The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-11

 may be a dozen simple explanations, and there are exigencies in politics. CT hate politics!' she broke in sud denly. .sWhen read of women want 1 ing toto vote and all that wonder if they know what it means to have to be polite to dreadful people. peopleswho have, even been convicts and all that. Why, our last butler had been prize fghterw She sat upright with her hands on. the arms of the chair. That is another thing. too. Mir. Knox. The day after father went, away. Carter, our butler, left. He was not there that evening to serve dinner, but-he came back late that night and got into the house. using his key to the servants entrance. He slept there, the maids said, but he was gone before the serv- ants. were up, and we have not seen him since."
 "Your father has not been ill. has he? I mean recently
 tT cannot think of anything except that he had tooth pulled. She was quick to resent my smile,
 ''You have not noticed any mental symptoms-an lack of memory P Her eyes filled. ~.He forgot my birthday two weeks ago. she said 1t was the first one he had ever forgotten in nineteen of them.''
 Nineteen! Nineteen from thirty five leaves sixteen!
 ''What I. meant was thfs,'' I explain ed. People sometimes have sudden and unaccountable lapses of memory and at those times they are apt to stray away from home. Has your fa- ther been worried lately?"
 ssHe has not been himself at all. He has been irritable even to me and ter ribie to tine servants. Only to Carter he was never ugly to Carter. You have no brothers or sisters ?"
 None. came to you'' there she stopped.
 Please tell me how, you happened to come to me- urged.
 .sI didn't know where to go, she con- fessed, ESQ took the telephone direc- tory. the classified part under 'Attor- neys' and, after shut my eyes, put my finger haphazard, on the page. It pointed to your name"
 lam afraid flushed at this, but in amoment laughed.
 we will take it as an omen,'' said, .'and will do all that I can. But I am not detective, Miss Fleming. Don't you thtnk we ought to have one?"
 Not the poIice.' She shuddered
 Suppose you tell me what happened the day your father left and how he went away. Tell me the little things. too.'
 Tn the first place." she began, i've live on Monmouth avenue. There are just the two of us and the servants a cook, two housemaids, a laundress, a butler and chauffeur. My father spends much of his time at the capital, and ill the last two years since my old governess went back to Germany at those times usually go to mothers sisters at Bellwood, Miss Letitia and Miss Jane Maitland"
 nodded. knew the Maitland la dies well. had drawn four different wills for Miss Letitia in the last year.
 My father went away on the 10th of May. He got up from breakfast, picked up his hat and walked out of the house. He was irritated at let ter he had read.
 "He took the letter with him. He did not come home that night. and I went to the office the next morning. The stenographer said he had not been there. He is not at Plattsburg be- cause they have been trying to call him from there on the long distance telephone every day"
 In spite of her candid face was sure she was holding something back.
 Why don't you tell me everything? ?'' I asked.
 She flushed. Then she opened her pocketbook and gave me a slip of rough paper. On it in careless figures was the number eleven tEen95y7 44r O." That was all
 '.I was afraid you would think it silly" she said. "It was such a mean ingless thing. You see, the second night after father left was nervous and could not sleep expected him home at any time, and kept listening for his step downstairs. About 3 o'clock I was sure heard some one in the room below mine. I felt re- lieved, for I thought he had come back. But I did not hear the door into his bedroom close, and finally I slipped along the hall to his room. had queer feeling before turned on the light that there was some one standing close to me. But the room was empty and the hall too.'
 "And the paperT
 '9The paper had been pinned to a pillow on the bed. When saw the pin I was startled. I rang for Annie. the second housemaid. who is also a sort of personal maid of mine. It was half past 8 o'clock when Annie came flown took her info fathers room