Danger | Page 4

closer look into
the young physician's face sent a flash of suspicion through the mind of
Mr. Voss, which was more than confirmed a moment afterward as the
stale odor of wine floated to his nostrils.
"Were you at Mr. Birtwell's to-night?" There was a thrill of anxious
suspense in the tones of Mr. Voss as he grasped the physician's arm and
looked keenly at him.
"I was," replied Doctor Angier.
"Did you see my son there?"
"Yes, sir."
"At what time did you leave?"
"Less than an hour ago. I had not retired when your summons came."
"Was Archie there when you left?"
"No, I think not."
"Are you sure about it?"
"Yes, very sure. I remember now, quite distinctly, seeing him come
down from the dressing-room with his hat in his hand and go through
the hall toward the street door."
"How long ago was that?"
"About an hour and a half; perhaps longer."
A groan that could not be repressed broke from the father's lips.
"Isn't he at home?" asked the young physician, turning round quickly
from the bed and betraying a sudden concern.

"No; and I am exceedingly anxious about him." The eyes of Mr. Voss
were fixed intently on Doctor Angler, and he was reading every
varying expression of his countenance.
"Doctor," he said, laying his hand on the physician's arm and speaking
huskily, "I want you to answer me truly. Had he taken much wine?"
It was some moments before Doctor Angier replied:
"On such occasions most people take wine freely. It flows like water,
you know. I don't think your son indulged more than any one else;
indeed, not half so much as some young men I saw there."
Mr. Voss felt that there was evasion in the answer.
"Archie is young, and not used to wine. A single glass would be more
to him than half a dozen to older men who drink habitually. Did you
see him take wine often?"
"He was in the supper-room for a considerable time. When I left it, I
saw him in the midst of a group of young men and girls, all with
glasses of champagne in their hands."
"How long was this before you saw him go away?"
"Half an hour, perhaps," replied the doctor.
"Did he go out alone?"
"I believe so."
Mr. Voss questioned no further, and Doctor Angler, who now
understood better the meaning of his patient's condition, set himself to
the work of restoring her to consciousness. He did not find the task
easy. It was many hours before the almost stilled pulses began beating
again with a perceptible stroke, and the quiet chest to give signs of
normal respiration. Happily for the poor mother, thought and feeling
were yet bound.

Long before this the police had been aroused and every effort made to
discover a trace of the young man after he left the house of Mr. Birtwell,
but without effect. The snow had continued falling until after five
o'clock, when the storm ceased and the sky cleared, the wind blowing
from the north and the temperature falling to within a few degrees of
zero.
A faint hope lingered with Mr. Voss--the hope that Archie had gone
home with some friend. But as the morning wore on and he did not
make his appearance this hope began to fade away, and died before
many hours. Nearly every male guest at Mrs. Birtwell's party was seen
and questioned during the day, but not one of them had seen Archie
after he left the house. A waiter who was questioned said that he
remembered seeing him:
"I watched him go down the steps and go off alone, and the wind
seemed as if it would blow him away. He wasn't just himself, sir, I'm
afraid."
If a knife had cut down into the father's quivering flesh, the pain would
have been as nothing to that inflicted by this last sentence. It only
confirmed his worst fears.
The afternoon papers contained a notice of the fact that a young
gentleman who had gone away from a fashionable party at a late hour
on the night before had not been heard of by his friends, who were
anxious and distressed about him. Foul play was hinted at, as the young
man wore a valuable diamond pin and had a costly gold watch in his
pocket. On the morning afterward advertisements appeared offering a
large reward for any information that would lead to the discovery of the
young man, living or dead. They were accompanied by minute
descriptions of his person and dress. But there came no response. Days
and weeks passed; and though the advertisements were repeated and
newspapers called public attention to the matter, not a single clue was
found.
A young man, with