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288 (16) Tales of Sherlock Holmes By A. CONAN DOYLE II. The Sign of the Four 0 CHAPTEB V (Cnttoud) tt Wq vou do McMurdo," cried Sherlock JtofJ w2w". "I don't thtarjoa z. 7 .4- m non't you remera- VS the amateur who fought three , rounds with you at .Alison's room on the night OS your benefit four years back! "Not Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" roared the' prisenghter. "God's truth, how could I have mistook you? If, Instead C tandin' there so quiet, you had Just stepped up and g jen me that cross-hit of yours under the Jaw, I'd ha' known you without question. Ah, you're one that has wasted your gifts, you hare! You might have aimed high, if yoo had Joined the fancy.' her voice died away Into a muffled mono tone. Our guide had left us the lantern. Holmea swung It slowly round, and peered keenly at the house and at the great rubbish-heaps which cumbered the grounds. Miss Mors tan and I stood together, and her hand was In mine. A wondrous subtle thing Is love, for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day, between whom no word or even look of affection had ever pass ed, and yet now In an hour of trouble our. hands .Instinctively sought for each other. I have marveled at it since, but at the time It seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so, and. as she has of tn told me. thera was In her also the in- stlnct to turn me for comfort and protection. Vi ,m Wilt arm. If all else falls me I o hanil In tinnl. HkA two children. have still one of the scientific professions, flnd there wag peace ln our hearts for all open to me," said Hoimes, lauBnuiB. , v. tne dark tnlngg that surrounded up friend won't keep us out in the cold now, I trM nt" he -aid. 1 am sure." rtrt tf ah inmi. lr; In you come you and Vftiir friends." he answered. "Very sorry, "What a strange place!" she said, looking round. "It looks as though air the moles ln Eng land had been let loose In it I have seen ... aiaus hut nrdpm are very strict. ill. . .t,. u., An tiu Ma nt hill Had to be certain of your friends before 1 r Banaratf where the. prospectors; had let them In." ' .. befi at work."... Inside a gravel path 'wound through deso- ' A And from the same cause," said Holmes, late grounds to a hugh clump of a house, xhe8e are the traces of the treasure square and prosaic, all Plunged in shadow k You must remember that they Mye where a moonbeam struck one corner for ,t N wondep ;2sdt sCoTtr Ai&rasss that the unds " v:i:pT Its deathly silence, struck a chill to the At that moment the door of the house heart Even Thaddeus Sholto seemed ill at burst open, and Thaddeus Sholto came run - ease and the lantern quivered and rattled ning out with hls hands thrown forward In his hand. and terror in his eyes. "I cannot understand It," he said. "There "There Is something amiss with Bartholo- must be some mistake. I distinctly told mew!", he cried. "I am frightened! My Bartholomew that.. we should be here, and nerves cannot stand it." He was, indeed, yet there Is no light in his window, i ao nan, DiUDDering wun lear, ana nis iwiwa not know what to make of it." "Does he always guard the premises In this way ?" asked Holmes. . ' "Yes; he has followed my father's, custom. He was the favorite son, you know, and I sometimes think that my father may have told him more than he ever told me. That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes. It is quite bright, but there is no light from within, I think."1 ing, feeble face, peeping out from the great astrakhan collar, had the helpless, appeal ing expression of a terrified child. - "Come into the house," said Holmes, in his crisp, firm way. ' ; '"Yes, do!" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto. T "X really do not feel equal to giving direct ions." - -, . ' We all followed him Into the housekeep er's room, which stood upon the left-hand "None,"' said Holmes. - "But -I see -the - aide -of . the passage. ..The old .woman, was glint of a light in that little window beside the door." " . "Ahthat Is the housekeeper's room. That is where old Mrs. Bernstone sits. She can tell us all about it. But perhaps you would not mind waiting here for a minute or two, for If we go in together, and she. has had pacing up and down with a scared look and restless, picking fingers,- but the sight of Miss Morstan appeared to have a soothing effect upon her. .,. . "God bless your sweet, calm face!" she cried, with a hysterical sob. 'It does me; good to see you. Oh, but I have been sorely no word of our coming, she may be alarmed ytrtedr this- -da? V BUI nusni wpai is ""r V - 7 Our companion patted her thin, wort- ''He;JheJd upthetfntern, and his hand "worn hand, and murmured some few words Tmtbkun1til(ne circles of light flickered and '; of kindly, . womanly comfort which brought wavered all round us. : Miss Morstan seized my wrist, and we all stood with., thumping hearts, straining our ears. From the great black house there sounded through the silent night the saddest and most pitiful of sounds -the shrill, broken whimpering of a fright ened woman., "It is Mrs. Bernstone," said Sholto. "She Is the only woman in the house. Wait here. I shall be back In a moment." He hurried for the door, and knocked in his peculiar way. We could. see a tall old woman admit him and sway, with pleasure at the : very sight of him, - "Oh, Mr. Thaddeus, sir, I am so glad you have come ! , I am so glad you have come, Mr. Thaddeus, sir!" We heard her reiterat ed rejoicings j until the door was closed and) the color .- back into the"- other's bloodless .Cheeks. ' . ;: " ' - v ' . ' - : . . , "Master has locked himself in and will hot answer me," she explained. "All day I have waited to hear from him, for he often likes to be alone; but an hour ago I feared that something. was amiss, so I went up and peeped through the keyhole. You must go up, Mr. Thaddeus you must go up and look lor yourself. I have seen Mr. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten , long years, but I never saw him with such a face on him as that" Sherlock Holmes took the lamp and led the way, for Thaddeus Sholto s teeth were chattering in his head. So shaken was he that L had to pass my hand under his arm as he went up the stairs, for his knees were tremblin under hlnu Twice as ire ascended Holmes whipped his lena out of his Jocket and earefully examined marks which, Appeared to me to be ' mere shapeless smudges of dust upon the cocoanut matting which served as a stair-carpet. - Ho walk ed slowly from step to step, ho ding the lamp low, and shooting keen glances to. right and left, Miss Morstan had remained behind with the frightened housekeeper, The third flight of stairs ended in a straight ; passage of some length, with a great ltw: In Indian tapestry upon the right of it and . three doora upoa the left. Holmes advanced alon it In the same slow and methodical ; way, while we kept . close at his heels, with , our long black shadows streaming backward down the corridor. The-third door -was that which we' were seeking. Holmes knock ed without receiving any answer, and then : tried to turn ' the handle and force it open. It was locked on the inside, however, and by -a broad and powerfal bolt, as we could see when we set our lamp up against it. The key being turned, however, the hole was not entirely closed. Sherlock Holmes bent down to it and Instantly rose again with a sharp Intaking of the breath. . "There Is something devilish in this, Wat son,"' said he, more moved than I had ever before seen him. "What do you make of I stooped to the hole, and recoiled In hor ror. Moonlight was streaming into the room, and it was bright with a vague and shifty . radiance. Looking, straight at me, and suspended, as It were, in the air, for all beneath was in shadow, there hjlng a face; the very face of our companion. Thaddeus. There was the same high, shining head; the same circular bristle of red hair, the -same ' bloodless countenance. The features were ; set, however, In a horrible smile, a fixed and unnatural grin, which, In that still and moonlit room, was more Jarring to the : nerves ' than any scowl or; contortion. , So like was the face to that of our little friend that I looked round at him - to make' sure that he was indeed with us. Then I recalled that he had mentioned to us that his broth- .'and he' were twins.' v . "This is ; terrible !" I said " to Holmes. "What Is to be done?" , ; '. "The door must come down," he answer- ed, and, springing against it, he put all his weight upon the lock. It creaked : and!,; groaned, but did not yield. Together we flung ourselves upon it . once more, and this time It gave, way with a sudden snap, and' ; : we tound ourselves within Bartholomews Sholto' a chamber , ' ry ": . It appeared to have been fitted up. as a chemical laboratory. A double line of glass stoppered bottles was drawn up upon the , wall opposite the door, and the table was ; . littered over . with Bunsen r burners, . test tubes, and retorts. In the corners stood car-; boys of acid ln w.Icker baskets. One of these r appeared - to - leak rer to - have -been brokeiv -tor a stream of ; dark-colored liquid had trickled out from it. and the air was heavy , with a peculiarly purgent, tar-like odor. A," set of steps stood at one side of , the room, in the. midst of a litter of.1 lath and plaster, :kkT above vthem there was an ; opening in ' the ceiling large " enough for a man 'to pass ) through, At the foot ef the steps a long coll of rope was thrown carelessly, together. By- the table, -in a wooden armchair, the master of the house was seated all ln a - heap, with , his head sunk upon his left shoulder, and that ghastly, - Inscrutable smile upon his face. He was stiff and cold, and had clearly been dead many hours. .It' seemed to me that not only his features but ; airhis limbs were twisted and turned in the ' most fantastic fashion. By, his hand upon the ; table ; there lay a peculiar instrument a brown, close-grained stick, with a stone head like a hammer, rudely lashed on with coarse twine. Beside it was a torn sheet ofl note-paper with.some words scrawled upon it Holmes glanced at it, and then handed " It to me. .... - "You see," he said, with a significant rais- ing of the eyebrows. in the light of the lantern" I read, with a thrill of horror, "The sign of the four." fB' ' " ; - tcoMMtssiON merchant Name xp .. .7 - yy'rx " i i i I 1 I . 1 I .. m m it All Within Reach Get a teleohohe. and VOlir fflrm Will lv fn mcforf frkfiVi nnVl itA town, A hurry for the doctor, "a quick-needed order to the store, daily quotations from the commission man all carried direct by the long arm of the telephone, as though there were no miles between. Yes, you can have a telephone and it won't cost much ! Write to us and well tell you how to get a Rural Telephone W SLy W X B6t yUr ehbors to help put up the wires to town. Just cut of the coupon above; paste it on a postcard, fin in-your name and address andmaato our house in the city nearest you. Well send fan detaflsby rerarn S3l WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY- Mamufacturmn of th 8.500,000 "BtW Telephones HewOifcwu SLloti, fiTdly EQUIPMENT FOR EVERY ELECTRICAL NEED Atluta Dallu Houtea : THE Fr.CGIlicsiVE FARMr : :7t means: murder,-:said he, stoonin the dead man., "An,. I. Expected it ,0Ver" here!" He pointed to " what looked long dark thora stuck in the akin jit Ik6 a the ear. V-'r- --r-, - abov ir-tJookslllkVathbii-Bald L r'ltia a' thorn. Ton. may pick it ont t e careful. Jror. It la poisoned." at But - I took lt 4ip between my flnger and t, I It came- away .from the skin, so readiiu,?b' hardly any mark, was left behind. On 1 had be&"W.. tte t'to.'isanian' insolubie niystery tft n, said 1 -fit grows darker Instead of cleared "On the contrary,", he answered, "it cieflL ;every Jnstant: I only: require a few mih? link, to hare an entirely, connected cwe We had almo. forgotten- our companion', presence since we entered the chamber W was. still rstanding; In the doorway the v picture of .terror,, wringing his hands Zl moaning t Jhimself. - Suddenly, however Sd broke out into a sharp, querulous cry, '''::rThe'treaBWa"!Bg6e17''he'8aid ' "Thw - have robbed him ot the treasure ! Ther ii the hole through which we lowered it t helped hlmdolt?: I was the last cersnn whe saw. him! -1 left him here last 555 I and I heard Jtlm lock the door as I cS downstairs." , came "What; time was that?" ; ; "It waa ten O'clock And now he Is dead, and the police will becalled In, and I shall be suspected of . having had a hand In it Oh, , yes. I am -sure I shall. . But you don't think so, gentlemen? Surely you don't thint that it was I? ; Oh, dear! oh, dear! I knVw that I Bhall o mad!". He Jerked his arms and stamped his Xeet in, a kind of convul. 'si ve frenzy.5 : . "You have no reason to fear, Mr. Sholto" said. Holmes,; kindly.-putting his hand upoa his shoulder, :. "Take ,my advice, and drive down to tho;atatlon and report the matter to the police., Offer? to assist them In every way. We shall wait here until your return. - The itttlV man obeyed In a half-stupefled fashion, and. we heard hi'm stumbling dowa the stairs in the dark, , - , Vchaptek Yl 1 ; Sherlock Holmea Gives a Demonstration N OW, Watson," said : Holmes, rubbing his' k hands,; we'- hive "half an hour to our. selves. -lie use of it. My case is, a, I have told you, almost complete; hut we. must not err on the side of over confidence. 'Simple as the case seems now, there may , bet .something deeper underlying it." ---;',"rt.5-'::''.:; "Simple!" rI ejaculated. ; : ' "Surely,"; aaid; hei with something of the ' air of a clinical professor expounding to his Class.";"Juslf" sit "ln-thecorner therertnat -yeur foot-printsmay not complicate mat ters. Now to work'.. In the first place, how did these folks; come,: arid how did they go? The door-has not been opened since last night, ' How of , the. r Window ?" He carried the lamp across to it, muttering his observa tions aloud the while, but addressing them to himself rather. thanj to me. "Window la snihbed on-. the - inner . side." Framework is soiid.- ;No hinges at the side. Let us open It.; No water-pipe ineae it Roof quite out. of reach. Yet- a, man : has mounted by the window. . It rained a little last night Here ' is the" print of a foot in mold upon the sill. And here Is , a: circular; muddy mark, and here again by the table. See here, Watson! This is really a Jretty demonstration." I looked at Ihe round," well-defined, muddy disks. ; "This is, not a- footmark," said I. ; fit la something much more valuable to us. It is the impression of a wooden stump. You see here on the sill is the bootmark, S heavy boot ' with a "' broad metal heel, and beside it is the mark of the timber-toe." r - "It is the wooden-legged man." "Quite bo. "But "there has been someone else a-Tery, able and efficient ally. Could you scale' that wall, doctor?" Hii ntitn window. The" moon still Bhone brightly on that angle ot the house. We were a good 60 feet from the ground, and, . lookvwhere. I would, I could see no footheid, nor as much as a crevice a the brick-work. ' ' wiris absolutely impossible,,IMwerei - "Without aid It is so.--But suppose yo had a friend up here who lowered you trus ood stout rope which J. see In the cornet securing one end of It to this great hook the wall. , , Then, I think, if you were an active man you might climb up, wooden leg and all. You would depart, of course, m the same fashion, and your ally would draw up the rope, untie it from the hook, shut tne window, snib it on the inside, and get awaj in the way that he originally came, as minor point It may be noted," he continue lingering the. rope, ; "that our' wooden-iegge f riendr though . . a fair climber, was not a professional sailor. His .. hands were w from horny.-, My lens discloses more v one blood-mark, , especially toward the enu of the rope, irom which-j gather that ne slipped down with such velocity that took the sktn off his hands." "This Is all Tery: well,"' said I, thing becomes more unintelligible than ero. How about this mysterious ally? .How cau he into the room?';' . ' ,T , a n. "Yes, the ally 1" ; repeated Holmes, P slvely. v'-There are features of Interest : aooui this ally. ; He lifts the case from the regw of the commonplace; Infancy that tm breaks fresh ground in annals of criI"lest this country though parallel cases themselves -from India, and, if ray mero . serves me, , from Senegambia." t , "How came he, then? ' I reiterated. . door- Is locked. the ; window, is inaccessiDi Was It through the chimney ?" ' . - "Theigrate Is rnucb: too smaiy he . swered. "I have already, considereu P08sibJlItyiM;':;;,':v .-' ! " V-' , "How then ?' 1 persisted. .'Tou will not apply my precept," Je d shaking his i head. Bow- of ten ae d the to you that when -you have lmfi!f un impossible, whatever remains, hoev probable, must; be the' truth?. e , that he did not come thfough the 'tDat window or the chimney; We also Ki he could not have - been conceaie a ggie. room, as there is no concealment v Whence, then, did he come?" g V'He came through the hole in the X 'cried. - - - - - (To bo - continued.) n! ft
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
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March 20, 1915, edition 1
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