Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Feb. 6, 1921, edition 1 / Page 14
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FOURTEEN fHE MORNING STAR, . WILMINGTON, N. C.,. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1921. ADVENTURE OF THREE STUDENTS BY HOLMES . (Continued from Page One) I can follow the other points," said he, "but really. In this matter of the lengrth " Holmes held out a small clip with the letters NN and a space of clear wood after them. "You see?" "No, I fear that even now " "Watson, I have always done you an injustice. There are others. What could this NN be? It is at the end of a word. You are aware that Johann Faber Is the most common maker's name. It is not clear that there is Just as much of the pencil left as usu ally follows the Johann?" He held the small table sideways to the electric light. "I was hoping: that If the paper on which he wrote was thin, some trace of it miht come through upon th4s polished surface.' No, I see noth ing. I don't think there is anything more to be learned here. Now for the central table. This small pellet is, I presume, the black, doughy mass you spoke of. Roughly pyramidal in shape and hollowed but, I perceive. As you say, there appear to toe grains of saw dust in it. Dear me, this is very in teresting. - And the cut a positive tear, I see. It began with a " thin scratch and ended in a Jagged hole. I ,am much indebted to you for directing fny attention to this case, Mr. Soames. Where does that door lead to?" "To my bedroom." "Have you been in it since yonr ad- .venture?" "No, I came, straight away for you." "I should like to have a glance round. What a charming, old-fashion-' '. ed room! Perhaps you will kindly wait a minute, until I have examined ' the 'floor. No, I see nothing. What about this curtain? You hang your clothes behind it. If anyone were forced to conceal himself in this room he must do it there, since the bed is too low and the wardrobe too shallow. No one there, I suppose?" As Holm.es drew the curtain I was aware, from some little rigidity and alertness of his attitude, that he was prepared for an emergency. As amat ter of fact, the drawn curtain disclos ed nothing but three or four suits of clothes hanging from a line of pegs. Holmes turned away, and steoped sud denly to the floor. "Halloa! What's this?" said he. It was a small pyramid of black, putty-like stuff, exactly like the one upon the table of the study. Holmes held it out on his cen palm in the glare of the electric light. "Your visitor seems to have left traces in your bedroom as well as in your sitting room, Mr. Soames." "What could he have wanted there?" "I think it is clear enough. You came back by an unexpected way, and so he fhad no warning until you were at the very door. What could he do?. He caught up everything which would betray him, and he rushed into your bedroom to conceal himself." "Good gracious, Mr. Holmes, do you mean to tell me that, all the time I was talking to Bannister in this room we bad the man prisoner if we. had only known it?" "So I read it." "Surely there Is another alternative, Mr. Holmes. I don't know whether you observed my bedroom window?" Lattice-pan ed, lead framework, three separate windows, one swimming on hinge, and large enough to admit a man." "Exactly. And it looks out on an angle of the courtyard so as to be wliile, you change nothing nothing at partly invisible. The man might have effected his entrance there, left traces as he passed through the bedroom, and Anally, finding the door open, have escaped that way." Holmes shook his head impatiently. "Let us be practical," said he. "I understand you to say that there are three students who use their stair, and are in the habit of passing your door?' "Yes. there are." "And they are all in for this exam ination?" v "Yes." "Have you any reason to suspect any one of them more than the oth ers?" t Soames hesitated. "It is a very delicate Question," said he. "One hardly likes to thow suspi cion where there are no proofs." "Let us. hear the suspicions. 'I. will look after the proofs." "I will tell you then, in a few words the character of the three men who in habit these rooms. The lower of the three is Gilchrist, a fine scholar and athlete, plays in the Hugby team and the cricket team for the college, and got his Blue for the hurdles and the long Jump. He is a fine, manly fellow. His father was the notorious Sir Jabez Gilchrist, who ruined himself on the turf. My scholar has been left very poor, but he is hard working and in dustrious. He will do well. "The second floor is inhabited by Daulat Ras, the Indian. He Is a quiet, inscrutable fellow, as most of those Indians are. He is well up in his work though his Greek is his weak subject. He Is steady and methodical. "The top floor beloners to Miles Mc Laren. He Is a brilliant fellow when he chooses to work one of the bright est intellects jit the university; but he 1s wayward, dissipated, and unprinci pled. He was nearly expelled over a rard scandal in his first year. He has been idling all this term, and he must look forward with dread to the exam '.nation." "Then it is he whom you suspect?" "I dare not go as far as that. But of the three, he it perhaps the least unlikely." "Exactly. Now, Mr. Soames, let us teV" l0k Rt yUr servant' Bann!s- He was a little, white-faced, clean- CORNS" Lift Off with Fingers Don't hurt a bit,! prop a little f jdcuiio uu a. it acninv stantly that corn stops hurting, then shortly you lift it rlgtft eff with fin, ers. Truly! Your druggist sells a tiny bottle of "Freezone" for .ft few. cents, sufficient to remove every hard corn, oft com, or corn between the toes, and the eal luse, without .soreness or Irritation -tAdv.) - ' ' shaven, grizzly haired fellow of fifty. He was still suffering from this ssfl den disturbance of the fluiet routine of his life.. His plump-face was twitch ing with his nervousness, and hfs fing ers could not keep still. . "We are investigating this unhappy business, Bannister," said 'his master. "Yep, sir." "I understand," said Holmes, "that you'lcft your key in the door?" "Yes. sir." "Was it not very extraordinary that f-ou should do this on the very day when there were these papers inside?" "It was most unfortunate, sir. But I have occasionally done the same thing at other times." "When did you enter the room?" "It was; about half -past four. That is Mr. Soames tea time. "How long did you stay?" "When I saw that he was absent I withdrew at once." "Did you look at these papers on the table?" "No, sir certainly not." "How came you to leave the key in the door?" "I had the tea-tray In my hand. I thought I would ' come back for the key. Then I forgot." "Has the outer door a spring lock?" "No sir." "Then it was open all the time?" "Yes, sir." "Any one in the room could get out?" "When Mr. Soames returned and called for you, you were very much disturbed?" "Yes, sir. Such a thing has never happened during the many years that I have "been here.. I nearly fainted, sir." "So I understand.' Where were you when you -began to feel 'had?" , "Where was I, sir? , Why, here, near the door." "That is singular, because you sat down in that chair over yonder near the corner. Why did you pass these other chairs?" "I don't know, sir, it didn't matter to me where I sat." "I really don't think he knew much about it, Mr. Holmes. He was looking very bad quite ghastly." "You stayed here when your master left?" 7 "Only for a minute or so. Then I locked the door and went to my room." "Whom do you suspect?" "Oh, I wouldn't venture- to say, sir. I don't believe there isany gentleman in this university who is capable of profiting by such an action. No, sir, I'll not believe it." "Thank you, that will do," said Mr. Holmes. "Oh, one more word. You have not mentioned to any of the three gentlemen whom you attend that any thing is amiss?" "No, sir not a word." "Very good. Now, Mr. Soames, we will take a walk in the quadrangle, if you please." Three yellow squares of light shone above us in the gathering gloom. "Your three birds are all in their nests," said Holmes, looking up. "Hal loa! What's tjat? One of them seems restless enough." It was the Indian, whose dark Sil houette appeared suddenly upon his blind. He was pacing swiftly up and down his room. "I should like to have a peep at each of them," said Holmes. "Is it possi ble?" "No difficulty in the world." Soames answered. "This set of roms is quite the oldest in the college, and it is not unusual for visitors to go over them. Come alohg, and I will personally con duct you." "No names, please!" said Holmes, as we knocked at Gilchrist's door. A tall, flaxen-haired, slim young fellow open ed it. and made us welcome when he understood our errand. There were some really curious pieces of mediae val domestic architecture within. Holmes was so charmed with one of them that he insisted on drawing it in his notebook, broke his prncil, had to borrow one from our host, and j finally borrowed a knife to sharpen! his own. The same curious accident happened to him in the rooms of the Indian a silent, little, hook-nosed fcl- j low, who eyed us askance, and was ! obviously glad when Holmes' archltcc- tural studies had come to an end. I could not -see that ; in either case Holmes had come upon the clue for'. which he was searching. Only at the third did our visit prove abortive. The outer door would not. open to our knock, and nothing more substantial than a torrent of bad language came from behind it. "I don't care who you are. You can go to blazes!" roared the angry voice. "Tomorrow's the exam, and I won't be drawn by any one." "A rude fellow." said our guidf, flushing with anger as we withdrew down the stair. "Of course, he did not realize that it was I who was knock ing, but none the less his conduct was very uncourteous, and indeed, uncW thp circumstances rather suspicious." Holmes response was a curious one. "Can you tell me his exact height?" he asked. "Really, Mr.. Holmes, I cannot un dertake to say. He is taller than the Indian, not so tall as Gilchrist. I sup pose, five foot six would be about it." "That is very important." said! Holmes. "And now, Mr. Holmes, I wish you Rood-night." j Our guide cried aloud in his aston- j ishment and dismay. "Good srracioiiH, ' Mr. Holmes, you are surely not goinl to leave me in this abrupt fasTilon. You don't seem to realize the position, j Tomorrow is the examination. I must ! take some definite action tonight. I cannot allow the examination ro be held if one of the papers has been tampered with. The situation must be faced." "You must leave It as it is. I shall drop around early tomorrow morning, and chat the matter over. It is possi ble that I may be in a position then to indicate some course of action. Mean all." "Very , good, Mr. Holmes." "You can be perfectly easy in your mind. We shall certainly find some wa out of your difficulties. I will take the black clay with m, also tho pencil cuttings. Good-bye." When we were out in tlve darkness of the quadrangle, we again looked up at the windows. The Indian still paced his room. The others were invisible. "Well, Watson, what do you think of it?" Holmes asked as we came out Into the main street.. "Quite a little parlor game sort of three-card trick, is it not? There are your three men. Tt must be one of them. You take your choice. Which Is yours?" "The foul-mouthed fellow at the top. He is the one with the worst record. And yet that Indian was a sly fellow also. Why should he be pacing his room all the tlne?" "There is nothing In that. Many men do it when they are trying to learn anything by heart." "He looked at us in a queer way." "So would you, if a flock of strang ers came In on your when you were" preparing for an examination next day and every moment was of ralu. No, I see nothing In that. Pencils, too, and knlves-a.il was satisfactory. But that fellow does puzzle me." "Who?" "Wny, Bannister, the servant. What is his game in the matter?" .''He impressed me as being a per fectly honost man." "So he did me. That's the puzzling part. Why should a perfectly" honest f man well, well, "here's a large sta- tioner's. AVe shall begin our re searches here." Ill There were only four stationers of any consequence in the town, and at each Holmes produced his pencil chips and bid hisrh for a duplicate. All were agreed that one could be ordered, but . ihat it was not a usual size of pencil j and that it was seldom kept in stock. My friend did , not appear to be de- pressed by his failure, but shrugged! his shoulders in lialf-humorous resig-' nation. "No good, my dear Watson. This, the best and only final clue," has run to nothing. But; indeed, I have little doubt that we can build up a sufficient case without it. By jove! my dear, fel low, it is nearly nine, and the land lady, babbled of green peas at . 7:30. What with your eternal tobacco, Wat son, and vour irreeularitv at meals. I expect that you will get notice to quit, and that I shall share your downfall not, however, 'before we have solved the problem of the nervous tutor, the careless servattty and the three enter prising students." Holmes made no further allusion to tho matter that day, though he sat lost in thought for a long time after our belated dinner. At eight in the morn- ing he came into my room Just as I j finished my toilet. "Well, Watson," said he, "it is time we went "down to St. Luke's. Can you do without breakfast." ' "Certainly." "Soames will be in a dreadful fidget until we are able to tell him some thins; positive." "Have you anything positive t tell him?" "You have- formed a conclusion?" "Yes, my dear Watson, I have solved the mystery. "But what fresh evidence could you have got?" "Aha! It is not for nothing, that I have turned myself out of bed at the untimely hour of six.. I have put in two hours' hard work and covered at least five miles, with something to show for it. Look at that!" He held out his hand. On the palm were three little pyramids of black, doughy clay. "Why, Holmes, you had only two yes terday." "And one more this morning. It is a fair argument that wherever No. 3 carne from is also the, source of Nos. 1 and 2. Eh, Watson? Well, come along and put friend Soames out of his pain." .The unfortunate tutor was certainly in a state of pitiable agitation when we found him in his chambers. In a few hours the examination would com mence, and he was still in the dilemma between making the facts public and allowing the culprit to compete for the valuable scholarship. He could hardly stand still, so great was his mental agi- ; tation, and he ran towards Holmes with two eager hands outstretched. j "Thank heaven that you have come!! I feared that you had given it up in despair. What am I to do? Shall the examination proceed?" "Yes, let it proceed, by all means." "But this rascal ?" "He shall not compete." 1 "You know him?" "I think so. If thi matter is not to become public, we must give ourselves certain powers, and resolve ourselves into a small private courtmartial. You there, if you please, Soames! Watson, you here! I'll take the armchair in (Continued on Page Fifteen ) ECZEMA 3 YEARS CUTICURA HEALS In Rash'on Mother's Hands ind Arms, Could Not v Rest At Night. "My mother suffered with eczema three, years. It started in a rash on her hands and arms and then scattered allover her. She could not rest at night, and could hardly stand to put hex hands in water. "She was treated bat it did no good. She then used Cmi cura. 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Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Feb. 6, 1921, edition 1
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