The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 14, 1905, Page 1

Scotland Ya M Inspector Star H §ixse-to to nd tell me wi is e head and gether. What am I to do? 5 sk you, Mr. s ha on the ace-kick udgm touch- it's tru and he Morton 1d co! on is fast t c rop from the tv e three-quarter - t or drop ism't Holmes ne you i Gog Staun- 1 with amused ch, which Holmes took down book. to that mine commor nton, the he, “and n, whom 1 but Godfrey Staunt; > me urn to leok sur- Mr. Holmes, I thought you Kr < i he. *I suppose, ou have never heard of God- aunton, you don’t know Cyril either: mes shook his head good hu- L Scot!” criei lhe athlete. A I was first reserve for England I've skippered the But that's noth- I didn’t think there wes a soul nd who didn’t know Godfrey vea Staunto: the crack three-quarter, Cambridge, Blackheath and five in- ternatic Is. Good Lord! Mr. Holmes, whe you lived ?” Holmes laughed at the glant's naive astonishment. “You live in a different world to young m Mr. Overton—a sv and heaithier one My -atious stretch out into many s of s0- cie but never, 1 a ateur unde spor How- morn- ev vour une shows me his ing of fresh air ar there may be work for me to do. So now, my good I beg you to sit down and tell me, slowly d ie exagtly what that c you ¢ that I shouid help you.” Overton’s face assumed the ed look of the man who is more iccustomed to using his muscles than his wit, but by degr with many repetitions and obscurities which I from this narative, he laid ange story before us. ‘It's this way, Mr. Holmes. As [ have said, I am s er of the Rugger t of bridge varsity, and God- frey Staunton is my To- morrow we play Oxfor erday all came up here and we settled Bentley’s private hotel. At 10 o'clock I went round and saw that all the fellows had gone to rcost, for I believe in strict training and plenty of sleep to keep a team fit. ‘I had a; word or two with Godfrey before he turned in. He seémed to be‘pale and bothered. I asked him what was the atter. He said he was all right— J a touch of headache. I bade him good-night and left him. Half an hour later the porter tells me that a rough looking man with ‘a beard lled with a note for Godfrey. He had not gone to bed-and the note was taken to his room. Godfrey read it and fell back in a chair as if he had been pole-axed. T norter scared that he was going to fei but Godfrey stopped him, had a drink of water and pulled himself together. Then he went downstairs, sa a few words to the man who was waiting in hall, . and the two of them went off together. The last that the porter saw of them, they were almost rupning down the street in the di- of the nd. This morning Godfrey’s room was empty, his bed had never been slept in, and his things as I had seen them the night He had gone off at a moment'’s notice with this stranger, come from him ce. I don’t believe he will ever come back. He was a sportsman, was Godfrey, down to his marrow, and he wouldn’t have stopped his training and let in his skipper if it'were not for some cause that as too strong for him. No; I feel as if he were gone for good, and we should never see him again.” erlock Holmes listened with the deepest attention to this singular nar- rative. “What did you do?” he asked. “I wired to Cambridge to learn if anything had been heard of him there. I have had an answer. No one has seen him.” “Could he have got back to Cam- bridge?” “Yes, there is a late train—quarter past eleven.” “But, so far as he did not take it 0, he has not been saen.” ) What did you do next?” « “I wired to Lord Mount-James.” “Why to Lord Mount-James?” “Godfrey is an orphan, and Lord Mount-James is his nearest relative— his uncle, I believe.” “Indeed. This throws new ind no word ha ou can ascertain, light upon the mafter. Lord Mount-James is one-of the~ritieat-men in England.” “So I've heard Godfrey say.” “And “your friend was closely ré- lated?” . “Yes, he was his heir, and the old Doy is nearly eighty— eram full of gout, too. They say he could chalk billiard cue with his knuckles. He allowed Godfrey a shilling in ver his life, for he is an absolute miser, but it will all come to him right enough. “Have vou heard from Lord Mount- James.” “What motive could your have in goinz to Lord Mount-Jam “Well, something was worrying him the nizht before, and if it was to do with money it is possible that he would make for "his neafest relative friend who had so much of it, though from ' all I have heard he would not have much chance of getting it. Godfrey was not fond of the old man. He would*not go if he could help it.” “Well, we can soon determine that. If vour friend was going to his rela- tive, Lord Mount-James, you have then to explain the visit of this rough- looking fellow at so late an hour, and the agitation that was caused by his coming.” Cyril Overton pressed his hands to his head. said he. ‘“Well, well, T have a clear day, and I shall be happy to lock into the mat- ter.” said Holmes. “I should strongly recommend vou to make your prepa- rations for yvour match without refer- ence this young gentleman. Tt must, vou say, have been an over- powering necessity which tore him away in such a fashion. et us step round together to the hotel and sce if the porter can throw any fresh light upcn the matter.” Sherlock Holmes was 'a nast masthr in the art of putting a humble witness at his ease, and very soon, in the pri- vacy of Godfrey Staunton’s abandoned room, he had extractedq anh that the porter had to tell. The visitor of the night before was not a gentle- man, neither was he a workingman. He was simply what the porter described as a “medium looking chan,” a man of 50, beard grizzled, nale face, quietly dressed. He seemed himself to be agi- tated. ‘The norter had observed his hand trembling when he had held out the note. Godfrey Staunton had crammed the note into his pocket. Staunton had not shaken hands with the man in the hall. ' They had ex- changed a few séntences, of which the porter had only distinguished the one word “time.” Then they had hurried off in the manner described. It was Jjust 10:30 by the hall clock. {‘Let me see,” =aid .Holmes, seating himself on Staunton’s bed. “You are the day porter, are you not?” “Yes, sir; I go off duty at 11.”* “The night porter saw nothing, T sup- pose??” y “No, gir; one theater varty’came'in No one else.” “Were you on duty all day yester- - day?” Yes, sir.” “Did you take any messages to Mr. Staunton?” “'Yes, sir; one telegram.” | .~ “An! that's inferesting. What o'clock ™ was this?” “About 6.” “I can make nothing of it,” to la e? “Where was Mr. Stauntcn when he received it?" “Here in his roovin.” “Were’ you bresent it? “¥Yes, s an answer.” “Well, was th 2 “‘Yes, sir; he wrote an answer.’ “Did you take it?"” “No; he took it himseif.” “But he wrote it in your presdnce “Yes, sir. ¥was standing by the door, and he with his back turned at that table.” When he had written it he said, *All right, porter, I will take this my- selt.’ ** “What did he write it with?” “A pen, sir.”" “Was the telegraphic these on the table?" “Yes, sir; it was the top one.” Holmes rose. Taking the forms he carried them over to the window and carefully examined that which was up- when he opened I waitad to see if there was form: one of permost. “It fe a pity he did niot write:in pen-. eil;” sald he, throwing them down again with a shrug of disappcintmient. “As you have no doubt frequently ob- served, Watson, the imbression usu- ally goé® through—a fact which has dissolved mony a happy marriage. However, I can find no trace here. 1 wrote with a’ broad-pointed quill and I can hardly doubt that we will ting pad. Ah, yes, surely this is the very thing He tore o a strin cf the biotting PEpEr & turned toward us the fol- lowing hieroglyphic: Cyril Overton was mugh excited. “Hold it to the glaes!” he cried. “That is unnecessary,” said Holmes. “The paper is there and the reverse will give the message. Here it is.” He turned it over and we read: “'Stand. by us for Ged's sake.” “So ‘that is .the tail end of the tele- gram which Codfrey Staunton dis- patched within a few hours ¢f his disappearance. There are at least six words of the message which have es- ~ rejoice, however, to perceive that hie caped us; but what remains—'Stand by Pen. us for God's sake!'—proves that this with young man saw a formidable danger s ey b OF J77 TORN FND scme one else cou'd protect h mark you! Another persun Volved. Whe sheuid it be but the who cemed What faced, self in beardsd man. S0 nervous is the connection ween Godfrey Staun on 2nd the wan? And what 8 ‘ths third from which cach of them =ought f . pressing danger? Cur &y narrowed down to that. We have only to fird te whom that telegram is addressed,” I suggestad. “Exactly, my d Vatson. Your réflection, though profounc has al- ready crossed ey mind. But I dare say it may have come to. your notice that if you walk intc a postoffice and demand to see the counterfcil of an- other: man's message ‘there may some disinclination on the part of the officials to oblige ‘you. There is so much red tape in these matters. How- ever, I have no doubt that with a little delicacy and finesse the end may be at- wined. AMeanwhils I should ifke in your nresence, Mr. Overton, tc¢ go through these papers wiich have been left upon the table.” "There were a aumber of letters, bills and notebaoks which Holmes turned over and examined with quick, nervous fingers and darting, pemetrating eyes. “Nothing here,” he said at last. “By the wayg, I suppose ydur fricnd was a nulv.hh_yfi‘ young . fellow—ncihing amiss “‘Sound as a bell.” . find some impression upon this zlot- ‘which approached him and from which _ “Have you ever known him ill?" . ) {gfflz}‘]x)’fiam WE WERE RV DOWY 7 COZHIRF be* “Not a dar. He had been with a Back and once kneecap, but that was +Perhaps he was not so you suppose. I should think bave had some secret trou your assent [ will but on these papers in my pocket in case t should bear upen our future ing “One mement—one morr querulous voic find a queer litel twitching in the dressed in rusty broad brimmed top hat white necktie—the whole that of a very rustic parson or undertaker's mute. Yet in s shalhy and even absurd appear: voice had a sharp crackie and his ner a quick intensity which commanded attention. *“Who. are you, sir, and by what right do you touch this gemtleman's papers? he asked. ¥ “1 am a private detectives < T am eadeavoricg tu explain his disyppear- ance.” Oh, you are, are you? structed you, eh?” “This gentieman, Mr. Staunten’s friend, was referred t¢ me by Seotland Yard " *“Whe are you. sir?” *1 am Cyril- Overton. “Then it is you whe sent me a tele- gram. My name is Lord Mount-James. 1 came round as quickly as the Bays- laid up ped his or two And who in-