Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Aug. 21, 1921, edition 1 / Page 19
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C Tt-.; . ly.-'V . :- ' - -. V... ,, , , " i it-rr 1 . (x w 1 "' 1 " f - "Furnitxire """"Hf high", said Geo. FvHunt, and he Grabbed yw- Ct J.y " - - Cutting and slashing- his way through the immense stock in the two stores of the Peo ples Furniture company, Mr. Hunt has cut prices lower than ever in the history of Wil- win orrrm . ' . LIVING ROOM SUITS, DINING ROOM-SUITS, BEDRO OM SUITS, KITCHEN CABINETS, PARLOR TABLES, ARM CHAIRS, ROCKERS, PARLOR AND FLOOR '. LAMPS, MATTRESSES, SCREENS, PICTURES and everything you need in furniture to niake, your home comfortable. This is a sale that you will remember, and one our competitors will remember. ' Back to old time prices small profits and quick sales. Time terms to responsible parties. Come in early this week and makeyour selections. ' THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND (Continued from Page Six) as! we climbed the stile, "that thia fel low should think we had come here as architects, or on some definite business. It may stop his gossip. Grood-after-nncn. Miss Stoner. You see that we have been as grood as our word." Our client of the morning: had. hur ried forward to meet us with a face which spoke her joy. ' "I have been waiting so eagerly for you," she cried, shaking hands with us warmly. "All has turned out splepdidly. . Dr. Roy iott has gone to town, and it Is un likely that he will be back before eve-ring-." TTe have had the pleasure of making- the doctor's acQuaintance," said Holmes, and in a few words he sketch ed out what had occurred. Miss Ston er turned white to the lips as she listened. - "Good heavens!" she cried, "he has fr'!iowed me. then." "So it appears." "He is so cunning: that I never know when I am safe from him. What will he say when he returns?" 'He must guard himself, for he rray f.nd that there is some one .more cunning than himself upon hia track. You must lock yourself up from him tonight. If he is violent, we shall take you away to your aunt's at Harrow. Now. ire must make the best us of our time, so kindly take us at once to the rooms which we are to examine." The building was of gray, lichen rlotched stone, with a high central portion, and two curving wings, like th claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these 'wings the windows were broken, and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin. The central portion was in little bet ter repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern, . and the hiinds in the windows, with the blue smoke up from the chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided, 'e scaffolding had been erected loodyear, fA COMPLETE SET GF TIREsI THE BEST TIRES MADE Some of these tires have been run about 100 miles, slightly soiled, carries a guarantee. This is the tire bargain of the year. Act quick if nrnmnflv J , NON 105-107 North Second Street S. . -j 1, w 91 v-V THE knife PEOPLE S against the end wall, and the stone work had been broken into," but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down the Ill-trimmed lawn, and examined with deep atten tion the outsides of the windows. "This, I take it. belongs tq the room in which you used to' sleep,-'the, center one to your sister's, and the one next to the main building to Dn; Roylott's chamber?" "Exactly so. But I am now sleeping in the middle one." . ' ; "Pending the alterations, "as I un derstand. By-the-way, there does not seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at that end wall.";. '. "There were none. ' I believe that it was an excuse to .move me from my room." ' "Ah! that is suggestive." Now, oh the other side of this narrow wing runs the corridor from; which these three rooms open. There are windows in it, of course?" . ... -v "Yes, but very small ones. yToo nar row for any one to pass through." "As you both locked yur . doors' at night, your rooms were unapproach able from that side. Now, would you have the, kindness"to go into-your room and bar your shutters." ,.. " Miss Stoner did so, and Holm3, af ter a careful examination through the open window, endeavored In. every way to force the shutter open)' but without success. There was no slit through which a knife could be passed to raise the bar. Then with his lens he tested the hinges, but they were of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry. "Hum!" said he. scratching his chin in some perplexity; "my theory certainly presents some difficulties. No one could pass these shutters if they were bolted. "Well, we shall see if the in side throws any light upon the mat ter." A small side door led Into the white washed corridor from which the three bedrooms opened. Holmes refused to examine the third chamber, so we passed at once to the second, that In which Miss Stoner was now sleeping, and In which her sister had met with Gwteh or ' ., - SKID J W. D. " ' " MORNINqSTAR, WILMINGTON, N;,C.; V.SUNDAY,, AUGUST FURNITURE COMPANY her fate. It was a homely, little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping fire place, after the fashion of old country-houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in one corner, a narrow white counterpaned bed in another, and a dressing-table on the left-side of the window. These articles with two snall wieker-work chairs, made up all the furniture in the room, save for a square of Wilton carpet in the cen ter. The boards round and the panel ing of the walls were of brown, worm eaten oak, so old and discolored that it may have dated from the original building of the house. Holmes drew one. of the chairs into a corner and sat .silent, while his eyes traveled round and round and up and down, taking in every detail of the apart ment. "Where does that bell communicate with?" he asked, at last, pointing to a thick bell-rope which hung down be side the bed, the tassel actually ly ing upon the pillow. "It goes to the housekeeper's room." "It looks newer than the other things?" "Yes, It, was only put there a couple of years ago." "Your sister " asked for it, I sup pose?" "No, I never heard of her using it. We used always to get what we want ed for ourselves." "Indeed, it seemed" unnecessary to put so nice a bell-pull there. You will excuse me for a few minutes while I satisfy myself as to this floor." He threw himself down upon his face with his lens in his hands, and " crawled swiftly backward and forward, exam ining minutely the cracks between the boards. Then he did the same with the woodwork with which the ' chamber was paneled. Finally he walked over to the bed, and spent some time in staring at it, and in running his eye up and down the wall. Finally he took the bell-rope in his hand and gave it a brisk tug. "Why, it's a dummy," said he. "Won't it ring?" . "No, it is not even attached to a United States I All Sizes, 32x3 TUBES FREE MacMILL " - : ' ' ' . . wire. This is very interesting. You can see now that it isk fastened to a hook just above where the little open ing for the ventilator is." "How very absurd I I never noticed that before." "Very strange!" muttered Holmes, pulling at the rope. "There are one or two very singular points about this room. For example, what a fool of a butler must be to open a ventilator into another room, when, with the same trouble, he might have communi cated with the outside air!" "That is also Quite modern," said the lady. "Done about the same time as the bell-rope?" remarked .Holmes.. "Yes, there were several - little changes carried" out about that time." "They seem to have been of a most interesting character dummy bell ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate. With your permission. Miss Stonerwe shaTfhow carry our re searchesnto thejpnner apartment." -r CHAPTER V. Mr. Gritjn,esby I&pylott's chamber was larger thAjni thatifof his stepdaughter, but was plainly furnished. A camp bed, a Ismail wooden shelf full of books, "mostly &th a technical charac ter, an armchair beside the bed, a plain wooden chair against the wall, a round table, and a large iron safe were the principal things which met the eye. Holmes, walked slowly" rouni and ex amined each and all of them with the keenest inteces "What's in here?" he asked, tapping the safe. ' ; "My stepfather's business papers." "Oh! you have seen inside, then?" "Only once, some years ago. I re member that it was full of papers." "There ! isn't a cat in it, for exam pier' "No. What a strange idea!" "Well, look at. this!" He took up a small saucer of milk which stood on the top of it. "No; we don't keep a cat. But there is a cheetah and a baboon." "Ah, yes, of course! WelL a chee tah is just a big cat, and yet a saucer but not damaged in the letvery one you can use ns size. Mail orders filled . SMOOTH TREAD .SO ' " ............ x .. ... ,. " 21, 192i: J C: UV1V, 4- of milk does not go very far to satisfy its wants. I dare say. There is one point which I should wish to deter mine." He squatted down in front of the wooden chair, 'and examined the seat of it with the greatest attention. "Thank you. That is quite set tled," said he, rising and putting his lens in his pocket. "Hello! Here is something interestinjsr!" The object which had caught" his eye was a- small dog lash, hung on one cor ner of the bed. The lash, however, was curled upon itself, and tied so as to make a loop of whip cord. "What do you make of that, Wat son?" ' "It's a common enough lash., But I don't know why it should be tied." "That is not quite so common; is it? Ah, me! it's a wicked world, and when a clever man turns his brains to crlne it is the worst of all. I think that I have seen enough now, Miss Stoner,. and . with your permission we shall walk out upon the lawn." : . I had never seen my friend's face so grim or his brow so dark as it was when we turned from the scene of, this, investigation. We Jiad walked several times up and down the lawn, neither Miss Stoner nor myself liking to break in upon his thoughts before he roused himself from his reverie. "It is very essential, Miss Stoner said he, "that you should absolutely follow my advice in every respect." .' "I shall most certainly do so;" . "The matter is too serious for any hesitation. Your life may depend upon your compliance." .' ' "I assure you that I am In your hands." "In the first place, both my friend and I must spend the night in your room." v Both Miss Stoner and I gazed at him in astonishment. '.'Yes, it must be so. Let me ex plain. I believe that that is the vil lage inn over there?" "Yes, that is the Crown." -. "Very good. Your windows would be visible from there?" "Certainly." "You must confine yourself to your Two Non V;., V.,; 106 Dock Street and 24 S. Front Street GEORGE F. HUNT, Manager "Walk Up a Flight and Save a Third" room, on pretence of a headache, when your stepfather comes back. Then when you hear him retire for the night you must oben the shutters of your window, undo the hasp, put your lamp there as a signal to us, and then with draw quietly with everything which you are likely to want into the room which you used to occupy. I have no doubt that, in spite of the repairs, you could manage there for one night. "Oh yes, easily." "The rest you will leave in Our hands.". "But what will you do?" "We shall spend the night in your room, and we shall investigate the cause of this noise which has dis turbed you." "I believe, Mr. Holmes, that you have already made up your mind," said Miss Stoner. laying her hand Upon my companion's sleeve "Perhaps I have." 1 "' " " "Then for pity's- 'sake tell' me what was the cause, of my sister's death." "I should prefer to have clearer proofs before I speak." "You can at least tell me whether my own thought is correct, and if she died from some sudden fright." . "No, I do not think so. - I think that there was probably some more tangible cause. And now. Miss Stoner, we must leave you, for if Dr. Roylott returned and saw us, our journey would be in vain. Goodbye, and be brave, for if you will do what I have told you, you may rest assured that we shall soon drive away the dangers that threaten you." Sherlock Holmes and I had no diffi culty inengaging a bedroom and sitting-room at the "Crown Inn." They were on the upper floor, and from our window we could command a view of the avenue gate, and. of the"lnhabited wing of Stoke Moran Manor Housed At dusk we saw Dr. Grimesby Roylott drive "past, his huge form looming up beside the little figure of the lad who drove him. The boy had some slight difficulty in undoing the heavy iron gates, and we heard the hoarse roar of the -doctor's voice, , and saw the . fury with which he shook his clinched fists Skid and Two Smooth 32x3, WITH TUBES .. ., .. " ... ... ' .:y - ' - ' V MsEVEN-B'; of Vilm TVia tinn irnva An onT a f aim minutes later we saw a sudden ' lightf. spring up amung the trees as the lampr v was lit in one of the sitting-rooms. : . f : "Do you know, Watson, said, Holmes, as we sat together In the X gathering darkness, "I have really .' some 'scruples as to ,taking yu to y night. There is a distinct element of danger." ' ..Or "Can. I be of assistance?" - ! " . "Your presence might be invalid -able." ' .-!.." "Then I shall certainly corns." Vv r "It is very kind of you." O'v "You speak ' of " danger? You have evidentally seen more in these rooms than was visible to me." , , "No, but I fancy that I may have' dedtkcedj a -little more.' I imagine that you saw all that I did." ''"'iP;2 "I saw nothing remarkable save the' ' bell-rope, and what purpose that . ; could answer I confess is more than -J': I can imagine." . . 'V "You saw the ventilator, too?" '",' "Yes, but I do not think that It Is such a very unusual thing to have a ! small opening between two rooms,', It was so small that a rat could hardly ' pass through." . ;- "I knew that we should find a ventl- .' lator before ever we came to Stoker f Moran." , "My dear Holmes!" ' K "Oh yes, I did. You remember m her statement she said that her sis ter could smell Dr. Roylott's cigar. Now, of course that suggested at once that there must be a communication! between the two rooms. It could pnly be a small one, or It would 'have been remarked upon at the coroner's ln- qulry. I deduced a ventilator." i , "But what harm can there he lrr( that?" .. "Well, there is at least a curious, coincidence of dates. A ventilator Is made, a cord is hung, and a lady who sleeps in the bed dies. Does not that strike you?" - " h "I pannot as yet see any connect tion."1 ' . . "Did you observe anything very pe culiar about that bed? 1 IVUUUIIUCU UU X tX&KJ Jl&lH.J . J -- " Tread PHONE 2103 r j v. : III ' ; 4 .-. i . f 'i ' i ' . Ti 'T .4.1 'i i VI i f
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Aug. 21, 1921, edition 1
19
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