Show THE MISSING MAN by MARY R P HATCH author of the bank tragedy 1892 by bee nd shepard CHAPTER II 11 A green haired woman amos talbert the comfortable gen ial landlord of the essex house had a wife and daughter the latter un married though not of age as she had adt the least objection to any one knowing that she i is forty two with her bright complexion brighter eyes and manners she was one of the most attractive ladles in grovedale Grov edale and it was no task there fore for mrs hamilton to chat with her for a few moments have ou many gue ts in the house nowa she asked miss talbert very few steady boarders but a good many transients I 1 wonder if the green haired lady is gone et said miss chase looking up from her work with a smile yes she went on the seven clock train on the train with my husband thought mrs hamilton but you may sure she did not say this instead she repeated wonderingly as she looked at miss talbert with po lite interest a green haired lady I 1 am not ed at your sur prise said miss talbert laughing you would wonder still more it you a to see hr she came on the train last night and went away this morning but ou dont mean to say her hair Is actually green do ioui not a bright vivid green but a sheeny emerald tint hard to describe the sea takes on such a color some times in the shadow of an overhanging cliff you should see it mrs earnil ton she Is very pretty has lovely features and a sweet voice I 1 was quite charmed by her I 1 think she knows mr hamilton said the dressmaker for she ran out to meet him when he came down the street ah perhaps ou know her too said mis talbert looking at mrs how still it was what would life be without husband or children 7 grim walls staring pictures lifeless furni ture do not make home she realized forcibly as she sank into a chair and folded her gloved hands on her lap two weeks pass so quickly she murmured sometimes I 1 can scarce ly realize they have passed when he comes back I 1 shall ask him all about it I 1 have never done it but I 1 will now secrets ought not to come between man and wife I 1 will tell him so they might make e they do sometimes mr henderson thinks it strange I 1 could see that and so does tony I 1 must tell vane about it when he comes back As you may imagine wl h buch con thoughts and so much alone constance did not find the days very swift in passing indeed they lagged terribly though she made calls practiced her mus and did sundry odd jobs of sewing the accumulation of the winter months to add to her anxiety she d d not recene one word from her hu band meanwhile she had seen and talked with mrs fry about the green haired lady mrs fry brought to mrs ham ilton a basket of freshly ironed mus lins the day after mr ham iton s de and immediately launched forth in a description of the green haired woman the queerest sight though there s no denbin she s a 1 pretty woman I 1 cannot see how a woman with green hair can be pretty said mrs hamilton you would the moment you saw her but you can ask mr hamilton he saw her and knew her too I 1 guess are ou she poke to him jest as I 1 was a comin to the laundry an he a comin down the street to take the train you herec she says you are mistaken says he oh yes she hamilton her name was booked as mrs anderson newark N J no I 1 do not she answered and I 1 have never heard my husband speak 0 a green haired acquaintance this statement in regard to the meeting of her husband and the green haired lady coincided with the glimpse she had ol 01 it from her tower though at that distance she had not noticed the color of her hair an accidental meeting evidently but they went on in the same train together perhaps in the same car if friends undoubtedly they rode together well what of thata friends meet each other at ev cry turn her husband might in the past have done the woman a kindness or some little service it would be like him he would tell her all about it on his return and with a pleasant adieu to miss chase mrs hamilton went away she called at the savings bank in passing and tony osborn with his pen behind bis ear came at once to speak to her good morning tony very busy I 1 suppose awful now ham mr hamilton Is away did he tell you just when to expect him back what day I 1 meana asked mrs hamilton no in a week or two he said but it s all a joke about my being busy you know for everything was put in shape before he went I 1 m glad to hear you are not daiv en said mrs hamilton reflecting that her husband always cleared the way tor others but took the roughest path himself and then she went on her way she met mr henderson who stopped to speak to her and to ask when her husband would be back only been away six hours and we miss him already no one can man age like vane in a week or two yes that s what he told me but by george he never told me where he was going strange always goes off in may of course you know she murmured something about bos ton and rest he needs it by george hope he 11 get it I 1 shall need a rest when he gets back our business grows mrs hamilton it s double what it was two years ago dian didn t realize it while vane was here he works too hard mr hender son I 1 know it your uncle and I 1 are old fogies and lazy to boot we put too much on his shoulders I 1 told h m so this morning carter says I 1 vane s been working too hard I 1 know it says he vane has lost twenty pounds lately Is that soa asked constance startled so your uncle said S posed you knew it well this will never do stopping to talk to pretty women when business Is booming at the mill and the jolly mill owner passed on leaving constance to pursue hy way home ward how hollow the boune sounded says I 1 did think an she looked round at me mr hamilton looked at her pretty close as if sort of think in or shudyin of her face an then he spoke again but what it was he aid I 1 dian didn t hear because of cour twan t none of my business besides he spoke too low probably she was insane no I 1 guess not she seemed kind er troubled though and folks in trouble always go to such folks as 5 our folks or else she knew him whichever she was a nice modest woman an a dreadful pretty one what mrs fry told her was but lit tie more than constance had already beard but it gaye her much to think about for several days indeed until a week had passed bu at the end of that time an incident occurred which surprised and alarmed her not a lit tie one morning hearing the doorbell ring mrs hamilton opened it her self tilly being busy and was sur ed to see tony osborn standing there idly flicking the dust from his boot with a small cane ah good morning mrs hamilton jolly weather isn t if very pleasant will you come in tonya thanks no I 1 just want to see mr hamilton mr hamilton surely you have forgotten that he is away but he got homec certainly not I 1 dont expect him for a week he was at the bank last night mrs hamilton of that I 1 am tain then where can he be nowa I 1 don t know I 1 supposed he was here and I 1 called over to see him as he dian didn t come to the bank perhaps he is at the mill without coming home tonya young osborn bit his lips and thought deeply but each moment grew more bewildered did you speak to hima asked mrs hamilton ye and he spoke to me bank ing hours are over at four you know and it was after dark that I 1 saw him going into the bank as I 1 was passing hullo I 1 said it was the first th ng I 1 thought to say for I 1 was surprised to see him so soon hullo he said ad laughed a little dian didn t expect me back so soon did no I 1 said I 1 dian didn t then he went in and shut the door after him and I 1 went home tony that have been mr hamilton it certainly was it was his voice I 1 beard ind his form features gait ebeo thing I 1 coulden couldn t have been mis taken tony said mrs hamilton in a low terrified voice I 1 am afraid you have been deceived it must have been a burglar oh no there isn t the least doubt in the world thit it was mr hamilton cone at all was everything rights i this ing yes nothing miss nsf no nothing at a I 1 all that sw arises me is that he isn t here he would certainly have been it he had come home that makes me think you have been deceived for answer tony took from his eat rocket a small shirt stud of unique design and hanaew it to mrs haell ton I 1 found it op the desk just as it would have fallen if it had become loosened from his shirt front oh tony what does it meana cried a hamilton with white lips what can it meana it Is his I 1 ave him the set myself and had them marked with his initials see this is V I 1 noticed it said tony quietly and I 1 was sure it was his now bow did it happen to be on his desk this morning unless it dropped out last night perhaps t was laic there unno s nee he went away impossible I 1 have dusted and put everything ever thing in order dai tony s hab ts of order wire incon cannot you recollect whether he spoke of missing one be fore he went away mrs Hamilton 7 iso he said nothing about missing one then ou will find that 1 am right said tony air hamilton was at the bank last night at about eight clock he must have been detained some where and will no doubt be here shortly you may expect to see him coming up the street at any moment he concluded reassuringly for he saw that she a terribly shaken I 1 hope you are r but I 1 have felt worried ever since he went away oh he s all right sound as a trump worry it I 1 were ou and went down ohp stairs but paused to ask shall I 1 go around to the mill and ask mr carter if he has seen anything of h ma yes please do and ask uncle car ter to come i p to see me if vane isn t tl ere all right and he turned away I 1 wish everything were all right but I 1 m afraid it he muttered to be continued |