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Page 35
"When we got to that city we found he had left there, as his
business called him away. He left word that he might have to sail
for this country ahead of us, but would try to meet us in Naples. We
proceeded there, only to find that he had sailed, and he told us to
come over on the next steamer. He promised to meet us in New York.
"We sailed on the _Messina_, expecting my father would meet us at
the pier."
"Did he meet you?" asked Larry, for he recalled that day when he had
secured the memorable interview with Sullivan, in which Mr. Potter's
name played an important part.
"He did not," and there was a catch in the girl's voice. "One of his
clerks did, and said he had received a letter from my father,
stating that he was unavoidably detained, but that he would be with
us soon."
She paused, and pressed her handkerchief to her eyes.
"Well?" asked one of the reporters softly.
"That is all," said Grace. "I have not seen my father since parting
with him at Munich, whence he proceeded to Rome. He has never
communicated directly with us, and we don't know what to think. It
is dreadful!" and she wept softly.
There was a pause of a few seconds, while the girl recovered her
composure. Then the reporters began to ask questions, sparing Grace
as much as possible.
In this way they learned that Mr. Potter's family could give no
description as to was dressed when he disappeared, for quite an
interval had elapsed between the time Grace and her mother had last
seen him, and when they learned that he was gone.
Nor had Mr. Potter communicated with his office or his business
associates, except so far as to send a clerk to meet the steamer.
Before going to Europe he had arranged matters so his affairs could
be conducted in his absence, and his continued failure to come back
worked no harm in that respect. Confidential clerks attended to
everything, and the millionaire's large interests were well looked
after.
So there was really not much that Grace could tell. She said she and
her mother had waited some time, after getting home, hoping Mr.
Potter would come back or communicate with them, but when he had not
done so they became alarmed. They feared he had met with some
mishap, and, after talking the matter over with his lawyers, they
had decided it would be best to report the matter to the police.
"We are much obliged to you," said Larry, when it seemed that no
more questions were necessary.
"We'll do our best, through the papers, to help find your father,"
added a gray-haired reporter.
"Now give us his picture," put in Peter Manton, in a commanding
tone.
"We have none to give out at present," said Grace coldly. "We are
having a number made, showing him as he looked when he went away,
and they will be ready in a few days. The lawyers will attend to
that, if my father is not found in the meanwhile."
"We've got to have a picture now!" exclaimed Peter.
"You shut up!"--thus in a whisper, from another reporter who stood
near the representative of the _Scorcher_. "You don't know when
you've been treated decent. Half the millionaire families in New
York wouldn't even let us inside the door, let alone telling us all
we wanted to know. Dry up!" And Peter desisted after that rebuke.
Larry managed to be the last one of the reporters to leave the
house. He lingered in the hall, and when he and Grace were there
alone he said:
"One thing I forgot to ask. When you got back to the house was there
any evidence that your father had been here ahead of you? Was the
house shut up while you were in Europe?"
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