Year: 1874

Oeiu u1c1LuS dlIu lIuiSaCSItfOH, anu SilOTGu


in the most comfortable manner.


/ Suddenly some noise within the house
made the Colonel start up ia his bed and


listen attentiyely. Yes, there could be no


doubt about it, there was the sound of q


stealthy football upon the stairs. He hast
I lily lit his candle again, aud his gaze was
turned toward the door, which he had
| locked, after it was settled that Warren
! should remain. He saw the handle move
| sln aflash of thought he asked himself
| what this could be? London thieves would


never dream of running the risk of enter
ling house in Which there was absolutely
lnething to steal. TO physical fear Col.
SenleFyille was q stranger, and so he at


once snatched up the short, heavy poker
from the fireplace, and without waiting to


arouse his servant, whom he saw was
/ sleeping heavily, he went quietly to the


door, unlocked and opened it suddenly,


prepared to capture the intruder. But


the passage outside was vacant and silent.


Being a man of more than ordinary


strength and thoroughly accustomed to


danger, he did not hesitate about continu-


ing his search. There We're only two other


rooms upon this floor. These he entered.


and as they were destitute of furniture, a


glance was sufficient to show him that


there was no one there; then he went up


stairs, carefully examined Warren's room


then he went down stairs. walked through


the drawing room, dining-room and study,


then into the offices, but he encountered


nobody. Then he proceeded to examine


the doors and windows of the basement,


and satisfied himself that nobody could


have entered there. His examination of
the lower part of the house occupied him


about a quarter of an hour, and then he
arrived at the conclusion that he had been


the victim of his own Imagination. Then


he yawned and began to think that he felt
really sleepy, so he ascended from the of
fees, thinking that he should get few
hours rest at least, just as he put his foot
upon the first step of the stairs leading
from the hall, something glittered from
the floor. He stopped down to see what
it was, and he picked up what appeared TO
be needle of about four times the orlina-
ry length, with tiny steel button at one
end. lie examined it curiously, for he
did not remember ever to have seen such
an implement before. The point, he re-
Marked appeared to be slightly tarnished.
With this, the sole result of his search, he
returned to his bedroom. He entered, and
locked the door after him, and was about
to throw off his dressing gown, when, to
his intense astonishment, he found that
Warren, whom he had left sleeping sound
ly, was gone!


He opened the door again, and called
loudly. No answer. He hurried upstairs
to his servants room; no trace of him
there; indeed, no trace of him anywhere, |
and Col. Somerville never saw or heard of |
James Warren again. He had no reason |
to suppose that there was any motive for
his mysterious disappearance, for he had |
not robbed or defpauded his master in any
way whatever. The next day the police |
examined the house thoroughly, but Moth |
ing of importance transpired. Need add |
that Col. SomerVille's new house was up |
for sale again Immediately?


Three facts remain to be recorded: |
First, the strange looking needle which |
the Colonel found was subjected to chem /
ical inspection, and the furnishes upon the |
point were pronounced to be human |
blood. Secondly, when the house had |
been for sale about six weeks, Col. Somer-
vile received a letter from the agents, an |
that the house was sold for the I
same amount that he gave for it. The |
Colonel, being man of strict honor, I
thought himself in duty bound to make |
the purchaser aware Of all that had occur
red, and hurried up to town to the agents |
for the purpose of procuring the name |
and address of this person. All that the |
agents could inform him was that the pur- I
chaser was a gentleman named Williams, /
and appeared to be an American. He gave
a check upon well-known bank for the |
amount, and it was duly honored. The
only peculiarity about Mr.. Williams was
that he had a remarkably pale face.
Thirdly, the house has never since been
put up for sale, but it remains, to all ap-
pearance, untenanted, though l under
stand that the deaf old woman is still the
care-taker.


To the lovers of mystery, commend
this story.-Londog Society.