Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-06-25
The Vanishing Men

~~~~~~~~~N~~~
"And no word?"
"No word. Like the nothing
cOmplete-nothing."
Peter made a wry face as if the
phrases had made real to him the fact.
There was no publicity?"
"No-almost none-a paragraph or
two. Less, perhaps, than there would
New York we were unattached-jus
people with little money-making no
acquaintances-nobo
Peter nodded, rejecting that, after
all, there could be nowhere on earth
quite the obscurity of man with a
million or two living on his income in
New York.
What became of his money! he
asked.
ut is there"
"UntouchedY'
Untouched"
He scowled. He said: "The houseT'
Just as 1 left it-one October day.
Just as it was. Nothing changed.
unprecedented, and left there. A
haunted place, Peter-a place where
one expects to find a poor murdered
creature lying face upward just be-
yond every door sill. l fed. / even
left the dog. 1 sent back telegram
to neighbor-the caretaker-a1d
gave him the beast"
You didn't speak of a. dog"
Il forgot-a horror of a beast,
turned loose inside the walls at night
when the gate was closed. 1t was his
dog, bought few months before-a
cross between Great Dane and blood
hound-a thing with white fangs
They had to shoot him, I've heard"
Peter, walking to the table, picked
up small bronze Buddha upon whose
face there was a satanic grin and with
great seriousness the man gazed back
at the heather thing for several min
utes
What about this-whoever it was
this symbol. half bird and half snake
Kuk-ul-can? You never found It
again?"
Eyes," said Brena.
''You found it?" He appeared un-
able to believe.
Eyes," she said. 81 had kept the
purse. 1t belonged to my mother l
kept it. In the lining-last yearp-I
found the scrap of paper"
IT'S here?" asked Peter with a
marked eagerness.
Yes" She got up again, brushed
the stray red-gold hair from her high
calm forehead and opened a box on
the bookshelves. When she gave the
torn bit to Peter, she did not follow it
with her glance; her gesture gave the
impression that she regarded the scrap
OF paper as of little consequence.
Peter, however, was interested. He
threw his cigarette into the fire and.
walking to the window, examined the
crude drawing, looked at the two words
scrawled beneath and, pushing aside
the curtains, held the scrap up to the
gray light.
He was interrupted by Brena's
voice. 1t was filled with the tone of
agony, Of WEAKNESS, Of sickness of
soul.
Peter, be merciful."
He wheeled about. She had been
sitting gazing at him.
Cant you see, Peter, that you must
say good-by to me? Can't you see
that it is torture not to say good-by ?
Can't you see, Peter, that I want you
to go, that want to go myself-back
to Beconshire, to Beconshire, to my
garden, my books, the wide view over
the sweep of open country? Can't you
see that l want the memory of these
days to end with your kiss-that now
we are only obliterating that mem
ory?"
He came back toward her and, pok-
ing the fire again, he laughed to him.
self.
"You don't think there Is to be an
ending-nOw?" he asked after a mo-
ment.
She looked at him with her eyes
filled with wonderment
"Oh, no. said he. mo ending, dear
one. Here's where we begin. There's
just some cold hard business to do
now. If it weren't for that I'd be sit
ting there beside you holding you very
tight until we were found by the au-
thorities, starved to DEATH"
"Peter!"
eyes. l mean it. That wasn't a
pretty story. But 1t hasn't Jared me,
Brena. We've the work cut out Tor
us. First we've the job of getting your
freedom-or finding out and proving
that some death-dealing agency has
given it to you already. Then we'll
uncover this trail of fear that tracks
you, dear. It's the work first"
you dare"
''Dare?" said Peter. Don't make
fun of me. Do you suppose I'd quit
now? / want to go and get the facts,
Brena. / want to knock to pieces this
hideous waiting you've done-this
menace. 1 want to come and get you
then, Brena-if you love me-"