Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Aug. 21, 1921, edition 1 / Page 17
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1 J . .. '! s ,- 1 The Adventureof theSpeckieH By SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE Band riht. 1831. by Harper & Bro.. Published by apecial arrangement with The McClure Aeifpaper Syndicate over my notes of the ;eu V- J from Mrs. Farintosh. whom, you helped in the hour of her sore need. It was from her that I had your address. Oh, sir, do you not think , that you could help me, too, and at least' throw a lit tle light through the dense darkness vmcn surrounds me? At present it out or my power to reward vt ie refused to associate nimseir your services, but in a month or sTx : z . - V. ; rt nr. I l t . . . . . .. v !HTesi:siuuu " ; w e-eits i snail oe married, with the on- i t-iancms ..,'"ty odd oases in which I have the methods oi my iriena k Holmes, 1 Tina many tragic, omic. a larse number merely but none commonplace; for, a as he did rather for the love lit than for the acquirement of is for to i ' t.-; V - li"1' H'.v l'.i-i-"' V- f ward the unusual, and even the j Of all these varied cases, j . l cannot recall any which ,d more singular features than : nich was associated with the ' :0Vn OUIIC lailliij. J- cue ivuj- : stoke Moran. The events In n occurred in the early days of oeiation with Holmes, when we sharing rooms as Dacneiors in street. It is possible that I nave placed them upon record but a promise of secrecy was the time, from which I have ungrate- troi ot my own income, and then' at .esst, you shall not find me ful." liolmes turned to his desk, and unlocking- it drew out a small case book, which he consulted. "Farintosh," said he. 'Ah, yes. recall the case; it was concerned with an opal tiara. I think it was before your time. Watson. I can only say, madam, that I shall be happy to de vote the same care to your case as I did tb that of your friend. As to re ward, my profession is its nwn en freed during the last month j ward; but you are at liberty. to defray untimely death of" the lady, to I whatever expenses I may be put to, at ;r, pledge was given. It is per- ,' the time which suits you best. nd j inS the lifev which I have described, we were little. nkely, to see&py ohe of our I owr aire alid position. ;We, had, how j ever, an aiint,. tny mother's maiden o.siei, aiiss ttronoria Westphail, who lives near rtarr'ow. and we were occa sionally allowed-to ?-j.y short visits at this lady's -Tabus a.' Julia went there at Christmas two years -.ago,- and met there a half-nay major or.- marines, to whom she lcame engaa'. My step father learned of the entitlement when my sister returns J, and offered no ob jection to tjie-marriage; bu within a fortnight it the - day whiciv'had been f.xed for llupyOrd'.ins', rthe .terrible event occurred vrhk-h.. Has deprived me of my only companion;'' - SharlcckHolmes had beqn leaning back in his-vchuir vith his eyes close.! he hslf c.p;rve1 his 113s now and clancf-:': ;:;'iots' at his visitor. he. Pray be preci.se as to details," said ,il that the facts should now now I beg that you will lay before know to light, for 1 have . reasons to that there are widespread ru- the death ol Vr. Gnmesby us everything that may help i:e in form ing an opinion upon the matter." - , . , r 1 1 n itfarn ni I 1 1 lyrimpsnv . "a us'" rcn nn irieitnn " jO'.. L s -' v j v i j . . v i i u i , nir v f r y wtticii tenu io mane iae mai- i norror or my situation lies in the fact v.-iott . ev-n more terrible than the truth. It wa? early in April in the year t I woke one morning; to nna v Holmes standing. fully Vy the side of my bed. He riser as' a rule, and as the . v the mantel-piece showed me V-7 was only a quarter past seven, "'" -.ke.!. up at him ir. some surprise, "..V haps just a little resentment, ;.,r i myself regular in my habits. " 'yen sorry to knoclt you up, Wat c?n said he. "but it's the. common v.-'""this nTorning. Mrs. Hudson has knocked up, she retorted upon I am on - you. , is it. then a fire?" It seems that a young in a considerable state ' the last survivor of one of vho insists upon see- w-h::-r! Should case, y :?i:c" teer an 1 What No; a client, lady has arrived nf pvcitment intr me She is waiting now in the sit-tie-room. Now. when young ladies 'vander about the metropolis at this vour of the morning, and knock- sleepy j' 5Ci& up out of their beds. I presume is something very pressing they have to communicate, it prove to ' be an interesting t; would. I am sure, wish to t from the outset. I thought. r ar.v rate, that I should call you and c ve yp n the chance." My dear fellow. I would not miss 't fnr anything." i had no keener pleasure than in tcliowine Holmes in his professional ii- est cations, and In admiring the ir ii reductions, as swift as intuitions, rti yet always founded on a logical .v.;. -j-.-.h which he unravelled the which were submitted to anidlv threw on my clothes. ;!I!t; .' s rady in a few minutes to s recay-any my friend down to the sit tr,r;orrk A lady dressed fn black zrA heavily veiled, who had been sit tir.sr in the wtndofr. rose as wentereil. Good-morning. madam," said Hoimes This is my intimate friend and associate. Dr. Watson, before whom you can speak as freely as be fore myself. Ha! I am glad to see that Mrs. Hudson has had the good, sense :o light the fire. Pray draw ud to it, and I shall order you a cup of hot cot's- for I observe that you are shiv- 1' 15 not cold which makes rne fh.ver." said the woman, in a low voice, changing her seat as refluested. What, then?" 'It is fear. Mr. Holmes. It, is ter ror.'' She raised her veil as she spoke, sr.d we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her fac ail drawn and gray, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal. Her features and fig ure were those of a woman of thirty, rut her hair was shot with premature gray, and her expression was weary and hagsrard. Sherlock Holmes ran her over with one of his quick, all f omprhensive glances. "You must not fear." said he, sooth ingly, bending forward and patting hfr forearm. "We shall soon set mat ters right. I have no doubt. You have come in by train this morning, I You know me. then?' No. but I observe the second half of a return ticket in the palm of your left glove. Tou must have started early, and yet you had a good -drive in s doe-cart, along heavy roads, before you reached -the station." The latlv gave a violent start, and ?a:ed in bewilderment at my com P anion Th.er is no mystery, my dear mad Jir..' said he. smiling. "The left arm nf your jacket is spattered with mud !r. no less than seven places. The rr.arKS are Derfectly fresh. There is no vehicle save a dog-cart which throws up mud in that way, and then only '"ten you sit on the left-hand side of the driv.r." '"Whatever your reasons may he, you are Perfectly correct." said she. "I Parted from home before six, reached Leatherh-ad at twenty past, and came :r hy the first train to Waterloo. Sir. ran stand th1 strain nn loncer! T ro mad if it continues. I have ro one to turn to none, save only one, ' "o cares for me, and he, poor fellow, sn ho of little aid. I have heard of o.j .it. Holmes; I have heard of you I shan F0RQ HEADACHE 1 OroMalGine Wade and sold for 25 years without a cornpJaint. Endorsed by the best phy tiant and druggists. Safe absolutely. 2 sues 30c and 60c. BROMALGINE COMPACT", tnat my fears are so vague, and my suspicions depend so entirely upon small points, which might seem trivial to another, that even he to whom of all others I have a risrht to look for help and advice locks upon all that I tell him about it as the fancies of a nerv ous woman. He does not say so, but' I can read it from his soothing answers and averted eyes. But I have heard, Mr. Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold wickedness of ne human heart. You may advise me how to walk amid the dangers which en compass me." '. m "I am all attention', madam." "My name is Helen Stoner, and I am .living with my stepfather, who is the oldest Saxon families in England, the Roy lotts of Stoke Moran on the western border of Surrey." Holmes nodded his head. "The name is familiar to me," said he. "The family was at one time amonig the richest in England, and ' the es tates extended over the borders into Berkshire in the north, and Hampshire in the west. In the last centijrjf, how ever, four successive heirs were of a dissolute and wasteful disposition, and the family ruin was eventually- com pleted .by a gambler in the days of the Regency. Nothing was reft save a few acres of ground, and the two-hundred-year-old hcuse, which is itself crushed under -a heavy mortgage. The last" squire dragged out his existet-re there, living the horrible life of an aristocratic pauper ; but his only son, my stepfather, seeing that he must adapt himself to the new conditions, obtained an advance from a relative, which enabled him to take a medical degree, and went but to Calcutta, where, by his professional skill ind his force of character, he estab'ishei a larje practice. In a fit of anger, however, caused by some robberies which had been perpetrated in the house, he beat his native butler to death, and narrowly escaped a capital sentence. As it was. he suffered a'lon term of imprisonment, and afterwards returned to England a moro and dis- appointed man. "When Dr. Rovlott was in Inlia he married my mother. .Mrs. Stoner. the young widow of Major-General Stoner, of the Bengal Artillery: My sister Julia and I were twins, and we were only two years old at the time of my mother's remarriage. She had a con siderable sum of money not less than 1.000 pounds a year and this she be queathed to Dr. Roylott entirely while we resided with him with a provision that a certain annual . sum should be allowed to each of us in the event of our marriage. Shortly after our re turn to England my mother died she was" killed eight years ago in a railr way accident near Crewe. Dr. Roy lott then abandoned his" attempts to establish himself in practice in Lon don, and took us to live with him in the ran. left and our old ancestral house at Stcke Mo The money which my mother bad was enough for all our wants, there seemed to be no obstacle to i happiness." CHAPTER II. "But a terrible change came over our stepfather about this time," went on Helen Stoner. "Instead of making friends and exchanging visits wltri our neighbors, who had at first been overjoyed to see a Roylott of Stoke Moran back in the old family soat, he shut himself up In his house, and sel dom came out save to inddlce in fe rocious quarrels with wnoever might cross his path. Violence of temper L approaching to mania has been heredi tary in the men r.t the ramliy, am m my stepfather's case It had. I believe, been intensified by his long residence In the tropics. A series of disgraceful brawls took place, two of which ended in the police-court, until at last he became the terrior of the village, and the folks would fly at his approach, ror he is a man of immense strength absolutely ger uncontrollable hurled in hie and an "tjast week he huriea tne iocai blacksmith over a parapet into a stream, and it was only, by paying: ,t- an the money which I could gather together that I was able to avert another public exposure . He had nn friends at all save the wandering Annies, and he would arive these vaga bonds leave to encamp upon the few oor-oo hramble-covered land which represent the family estate, and would rnnt in return the hospitality of their tents, wandering away with them .nmAfimca for weeks on end. He has a passion also for Indian animals, whir-h are sent over to him by a cor- rosrftndent, and he has at this moment a cheetah and a baboon, which wan der freely over his grounds and are feared by the villagers almost as much as their master. - w.,1 ran imaeln from what I say that my poor sister Julia apd I had no creat oleasure in our lives. vo : .,,i otav with ii b. .and f or a Vct.II l w uuiu - , . . ir,or time 'we did all the work of the house. She was but thirty at the time of her death, and yet her hair aaa already begun to whitten even as mine has." - - ' ' ' ' ' " "Your sister is dead, thenr j , ,i i,st twn vears araro. .and . it .: bexirooms in this win" are "pn-.-the ground floor, the' sitting-rooms being in the central block of the--: buildings. Of these bedrooms the first is Dr. Roy lott's, the second my sister's, and . the R third my own. There is no communi cation between them, but they all open I out into the same corridor. Do I make ! myself plain?" 'Perfectly so." "The windows of the three rooms open out upon the lawn. That fatal night Dr. Roylott had gone to his room early, though we knew that he had not retired to rest,- for my sister was troubled by the smell of the strong Inrlian cig-ars which it was his custom to smoke. She left her room, there fore, and came into mine, where she sat for some time, chatting about her approaching wedding. At eleven o'clock she rose to leave me, but she paused at the door and looked back. " 'Tell me, Helen,' said she, 'have you ever heard any one whistle in the ! dead of the night?" " 'Never,' said I. " '1 suppose that you coula not pos sibly whietle, yourself, in your sleep?' " 'Certainly not. But why? " 'Because during" the last few nights I have always, about three in the morning, heard a low, clear whistle. I am a light sleeper, and it has awak ened me. I cannot tell where it came I from perhaps from the next room. the lawn, I wonder her it also.' ; that you did not its hinges. ' I stared" at' it hoirror-strick- fTl Tint Ir T1 r TXr i n o- tit V o t xr o a ohnnt r Ah, but I sleep more heavily than i . J . " .. . '.issue rrom it. tsy tne ngnt ot tne cor- v . - 1 " 'Well, it is of no srreat conse-) ridor-lamp I saw my sister appear at quence, at any rate.' She smiled back j the opening, her face blanched with iCJtSeTT dCr anl a StW H terror' her hands coping for help, her ments later I heard her key turn in . , the lock." ' wnle figure swaying to and fro like ..tj - . . j that of a drunkard. I ran to her and iimeeu, saia noimes. was it your custom always to lock yourselves in at night?" "Always." " "And why?" "I think that I mentioned to yon that the doctor kept a cheetah and a baboon. We had no feeling of security unless our doors 'were locked." wuue so. fray proceed witn your statement." "I could not sleep that nisrht. A vague feeling of impending misfor- I would fain have said, and she stabbed tune oppressed me. Mv sister "and I. i with her finger into the air in the di- you will recollect, were twins, and threw my arms round her, but at that moment her. knees seemed to give way and she fell to the ground. She writhed as one who is in terrible pain, and her, limbs were dreadfully con vulsed. At first I thoueht that she had not recognized me, but as I bent over her she suddenly shrieked out in a .-.voice which I shall never forget, .'OK, my. God! Helen!' 'It is easy for me to be-so. j perhaps from the lawn. I thought that for every i would just ask you whether you had event of that, dreadful time ts seared : hear,d it. ' ' into my memory. The rmnor-house is, "'No, I -have not. It. must be those as I have .already said, ,,very old, and i wretched cypsies in the plantation.' only one wins. is. now inhabited. The' "'Very likely. And yet if it were on There was something else which she you know how subtle are .the links which bind two -souls- which are so closely allied. It was a wild night. The wind was howlins outside, 'and. the rain was beating ' and splashing against the - windows. Suddenly, amid all the hubbub of the gale, there burst forth. the wild scream of a terrified wo man. I knew that it was ray sister's voice. . I sprang from my bed. wrapped a shawl round me, and rushed into the corridor. As I opened my door - I seemed to hear a low' whistle, such as my sister described, and a few mo ments later a clanging sound, as if a, mass of metal had fallen. As I. ran clown the passage, my sister's door .was unlocked; and revolved slowly upon recnon oi tne doctor s room,- but a fres convulsion seized her and choked her.words. I rushed out, calling loudly for my stepfather, and I met him has tening room in his dressing-gown. When he reached my sister's side she was unconscious, and though he pour ed Brandy down her throat and sent for medical aid from the village, all efforts were in vain, for she slowly sank and died without having regained her consciousness. Such was the dreadful end of my beloved sister." "One moment," said Holmes; "are you sure about this whistle and metal- j lie sound? Could you swear to it?" "That was what the county coroper asked me at the ' inquiry. It is my strong impression that I heard it, and yet, among the crash cf the gale and the creaking; of an old house, I may possibly have been deceived." "Was your sister dressed?" "No, she was in her nightdress. In her right hand-was found the charred stump of a match, and in her left a matchbox." - "Showing that she "had struck a light and looked about her' when the alarm took place. That is important. And what conclusions did the coroner .come to? "He investigated the case with great tcare, for Dr. Roylott's conduct had long been notorious in the county, but he was unable . to find any satisfactory cause of death. My evidence showed that the door had been fastened upon the inside, "arid the windows were blocked by ojd-rfashioned shutters with broad iron bars, which were secured every night. The walls .were carefully sounded, and were shown to foe quita solid all round, and the 'flooring was also thoroughly examined, with the same result.. The chimney is wide, but is barred up ."by four large' staples. It Is certain, therefore, that my sister was quite alone when she, met .her end. Besides, there, were no marks of any violence upon her." "How about poison?" "The doctors examined, her for it, but without success." "What do you think that this unfor tunate lady died of, .then?" ., "It is my belief that she" died of pure fear and nervous shock, th'oush what it was that - frightened her I cannot imagine.'. (Continued on Page Six.) J uotimn The swift and impressive success of the new Packard Single-Six is a direct result of the intrinsic goodness of the car. 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Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Aug. 21, 1921, edition 1
17
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