The evening world. Newspaper, February 18, 1905, Page 15

tit | FEBRUARY 18, 1 ran mr i 05 hte on : ( 2 a iia hanging our client. which will certainly be a trlumph for Scotland ing: that your evidence ls not complete.” three empty bedrooms. At ono end of the corridor wo were all marshalled “Fire! Gs Arai Yara.” _ Lestrade knew my friend too well to disregard his words, He laid by Sherlock Holmes, the constables grinning and Lestrade smiling at my “Just once more, gentlemen, and all together. T do not know how far Sherlock Holmes took any sleep that night, but down his pen and looked curiously at him, friend with amazement, expectation and derision chasing each other “Fire!” ‘The shout must have rung over Norwood, when I came down to breakfast I found him Dale and harassed, his bright “What do you mean, Mr. Holmes?” across his features, Holmes stood before us with the alr of a conjurer who Tt had hardly died away when an amazing thing happened eyes the brighter for the dark shadows round them, The carpet round his “Only that there is an important witness whom yon have not seen.” Is performing a trick. suddenly flew open out of what appeared to be solid wall at thé chair was littered with cigarette-ends and with the early editions of the “Can you produce him?’ “Would you kindly send one of your constables for two buckats of rrldor, and a little, wizened man damted out of it, like a rabbit) Morning papers. An open telegram lay upon the table, “T think T can,” water? Put the straw on tlie floor here, free from the wall on either side, burrow, ‘ie “What do you think of this, Watson?” he agked, tossing it across, “Then do so.” Now I think that we are all ready. “Capital!” said Holmes, calmly, “Watson, a bucket of water: It was from Norwood and ran as follows: “T will do my best, How many constables bave you?” Lostrade’s face had begun to grow red and angry; straw. That will do! Lestrade, allow me to present you with y i tmpentant treah 694 ; F , cipal miasing witness, Mr. Jonaa Oldacre, PS esh evidence to hand. MeWarlane’s guilt definitely ostab- . ‘The detective stared at the newcomer with blank emazement. Nshed. Advise you to abandon case,—Lestrade,” * ter was blinking in ¢ f tho corridor at iBbia helate esticua? Gala} 5 8 blinking in the bright light of tho corridor and peer{ng at the smouldering fire, it was an odious face—crafty, vicious, with shifty, Iight-gray eyes and white lashes, ‘ “What's this then?” sald Lestrade at last, “What have you bee! \all this time, eh?” i Oldacre gave an uneasy laugh, shrinking back from the fur face of the angry detective. ; “I have done no harm,” b “No harm? You have done your best to get am innocent man \If it wasn’t for this gentleman here I am not eure that you \ have succeeded,” The wretched creature began to whimper, “T am sure, sir, it was only my practical Joke.” “Oh! a joke, was it? You won't find the laugh on your elde, you, Take him down and keep him in the altting-room uatil I Holmes,” he continued when they had gone, “I could not apeak bs constables, but I don’t mind saying in the presence of Dr, Wataon {s the brightest thing that you have done yet, though it is a’ me how you did jt. You have saved an innocent man’s life, and you | prevented a very grave scandal which would have ruined my utatlo) the Force.” Holmes smiled and clapped Lestrade upon the shoulder, “Instead of being ruined, my good sir, you wil} find that tion has been enormously enhanced. Just make a few alte report which you are writing and they will understand how h throw dust in the eyes of Inspector Lestrade.” “And you don’t want your name to appear?” ile “Not at all. The work {s its own reward, Perhaps I shall credit also at some distant day when I permit my zealous hi lay out his foolscap once more—eh, Watson? Well, now, let us this rat has been lurking.” 4 A lath-and-plaster partition had been run across the passage from the end, with a door cunningly concealed in {t. } Tt was lit nit slits under the eaves, A few articles of furniture and a supply of; \water were within, together with a number of books and pa} “There's the advantage of being a builder,” said Holmes, out “He was able to fix up his own little hiding-place without erate—save, of course, that precious housekeeper of his, whom T no time tn adding to your bhg, Lestrade,” 1 “T'll take your advice. But how did you know of this Holmes?” / y “I made up my mind that the fellow was in hiding in the hi 1 paced one corridor and found it six feet shorter than the ‘one below, it was pretty clear where he was. I thought he hi nerve to Ile quiet before an alarm of fire, We could, of courae,) 4a and taken him, but it amused me to make him reveal himsell owed you a little mystification, Lestrade, for your chaff in the mé $ “Well, sir, you.vertulhly got equal with me on that, But f qorld did you know that he was in the house at all?” ‘ “The thumb-mark, Lestrade, Yon sald it was final; and #0) very different sense, I knew it had net been there the day heft ee @ great deal of attention to matters of detall, as you may have op I nad examined the hall, and was sure that the wall was clear, it had been put on during the night.” i “ “But how?! | “Very simply. When those’ packets were Sealed up, Jon MoFarlane to secure one of the seals by jputting his thumb | wax. It wold be done so quickly an@ so naturally that “Tt is Lestrade's little cock-a-doodle of victory,” Holmes answered, with @ bitter smile, “Ana yet it may be premature to abandon the case, After all, important fresh evidence ts a two-edged thing, and may possibly @ cut in a very different direction to that which Lestrade imagines. Take your breakfast, Watson, and we will go out togethér and see what we can aan feel as if I shall need your company and your moral support to» My friend had ao breakfaet himself, for {t was one of his peculfarities [i that in/his more intense moments h? would permit tmself no food, and I K have known him to presuiue upon his fron strength until he has fainted J from pure inanition, “At Dresent I cannot spare energy and nerve force for digestion,” he would say in answer to my medical remonstrances, [ was not surprised, therefore, when this morning he left his untouched meat behind him; and started with me for Norwood. A crowd of morbid sight- seers were still gathered round Deep Dene House, which was just such @ suburban villa as I had pictured, Within the gates Lestrade met us, his face flushed with victory, his manner Grossly triumphant. “Well, Mr. Holmes, have you proved us to be wrong yet? Have you found your tramp?” he cried, “I have formed no conclusion whatever,” my companion answered, “But we formed ours yesterday, and now It proves to be correct; se you must acknowledge that we have been a little In front of you this time, Mr. Holmes,” “You certainly have the alr of something unusual having occurred,” said Holmes, ‘ Lestrade laughed loudly, “You don't like being beaten any more than the rest of us do,” said he, “A man can't expect always to have it his own way, can he, Dr. Watson? Step this way, if you please, gentlemen, and I think T can convince you once for all that it was John McFarlane who did this crime,” He led us through the passage and out into a dark hall beyond, “This is where young McFarlane must have come out to get his hat after the crime was done,” sald he. “Now look at this,” With dramatic Suddenness he struck a match, and by its light exposed a stain of blood upon the whitewashed wall. As he held the match nearer, I saw that tt Was more than a stain, It was the well-marked print of a thumb, “Look at that with your magnifying-glass, Mr. Holmes,” "Yes, I am doing go." “You are aware that no two thumb-marks are alike?” “Ighave heard something of the kind.” “Well, then, will you please compart that print with this wax impres- sion of young McFarlane's right thumb, taken by my orders this morning?’ As he held the waxen point cloge to the blood-stain, it did not take a magnifying glass to eee that the two were undoubtedly from the same thumb. It was evident to me that our unfortunate client was lost. “That {s final,” said Lestrade, “Yes, that is final,” I involuntarily echoed. “It ts final,” said Holmes, Something in his tone caught my ear, and I turned ‘o look at him, An extraordinary change had come over his face, It was writhing with inward merriment. His two eyes were shining like stars, It seemed to me that he was making desperate efforts to restrain a convulsive attack of laughter, “Dear me! Dear ine!” he said at tast. “Well, now, who would have thought it? And how deceptive appearances may be, to be sure! Such @ y More than Stale, Was the Well-Marked Print Thumb. ei ng man himaelf has’no recollection of It. Very’ Wikely at 3 . nice young man to look at! It ig a lesson to us not to trust our own judg- it Was . Kt ofa peer] and Oldacre had himself no notion of the use he ment is it not, Lestrade?” ; \ . Brooding over the cage in that den of his, it suddenly struck “Yes, some of us are a ttle too much inclined to be cock-sure, Mr, “There are threo within call.” “1 don't know whether yon are playing 8 game with us, Mr. Shetigel golutely damning evidence he could male Septast erase sn Holmes,” said Lestrade, ‘The man’s insolence was maddening, but we could “xcellent!” shld Holmes, “May I ask if they are all large, able-boitied Holmes,” sald he, “If you know anything, you can surely say it without all thumb-mark. It was the sete it in as much not resent It. men with powerful voices?”* ‘ —— tlla, tomifooleny.”” : wax impression from the seal, to if eh wall “What a providential thing that this young man should press his right “T have no doubt they are, though I taj) to me what thet volves pave ‘“'T aegure you, my good Lestrade, that I bave en excellent reason for get from & pine Deiy i e Lake ye Pe ag 3 thumb against the wall In taking his coat from the peg! Such a very nat- t? 40 with It” everything that I do, Yon may possibly remember that you chaffed mo @ either with his own band or w i with him into his re ‘ral action, too, if you come to think of it.” Holmes’was outwardly calm, “Perhaps I can hely you to see that and one or two other ‘things 98 little some hours ago, when tho sun seemed on your side of the hedge, 8 among those documents which he ay sparen ag tut his whole boy gave a wriggle of suppressed excitement as he spoke, Wl” sald Holmes, “Kindly summon your men and I will try.” You must not grudge me a little pomp and ceremony now. Might Task you, yon a wager that you find begga he Se pis D “By the way, Lestrade, who made this remarkable discovery?” Five minutes later three policemen ad aaserapied in the all Ere © ee ew er SE a et fo Wri aie ta the object of this deep daventior ” ” ; : 1 “It was the housekeeber, Mrs, Lexington, who drew the night consta- Tn’ the ouMhonae dag Will find a considerable quantity of straw,” sald straw?" \ teats ing to ace how the deteotive’s overbearing. ble’s attention to it” Holmes. “I will ask you to carry in two bundies of it, 1 think it will I did 90, and, driven by the draught, a coil of gray smoke swirled down —‘It_ was amusing Peek ct a child irking. w question Geld ‘Where was the night Sonetable?” be of the greatest interest im producing the witness whom it irequires, the corridor, while the dry straw crackled and flamed. changed sa that is very hard to explain, A v¢ . i Thank you very much. I belleve you have some matches in your pocket, “Now, we must eee if we car find this witness for you, Lestrade, Might Well, 1 don tleman whois now wal He remained on guard In the kedroom where the crime was committed, Watson, Now, Mr, Lestrade, I will ask you all to accompany me te the I ask you all to Join in the cry of ‘Fire!’ Now, then; ong, two, three’— cious, vindictive person 18 the gentle McFarlane's in £0 as to see that/nothiig was touched,” top landing,” Fire!” we,all yelled. stairs, You know that he was ance big alt tis th firet @ e i i f “Bire! H st! Id you that you should go to Blackhea' i 4 eet why didn’t the pulice see this mark yesterday? As I have sald, there was @ broad corridot there, which ran outside “Phank you. 1 will trouble you once again.’ ei Mt eat this injury, as he would consider it, has ‘Well, we had no particular reason to make a careful examination of = = wicked, scheming brain, and all his life he has longed for venge never seen bia chance, During the last year or two, things: 2 h “No, no--of course not. I suppose there is no doubt that the mark was he finds hi Here veeLerdey ele ashe alee fee ne ae aa fe wt of ste ste te stesfe shee ste she fe oh 6 mgt aeieana ape pony eg for this Lestrade looked at Hokmes as if he fhought he was going out of his = lavke checks to a certain Mr. Cornelius, who {s, 1 imagine, 1 mind. 1 confess that I was myself surprised both at his hilarious manner * another name, I have not traced thege checks yet, but & and at his rather wild observation, that they were banked under that name at some provi “I don't know whether you think that MoFarlane came out of jail in Oldacre from, time to time led a double existence.’ He the dead of the night in order to strengthen the evidence against himself,” his name altogether, draw this money, and vanish, starting sald Lestrade, “I leave {t to any expert in the world whether that is not where,” the mark of his thumb.” “Well, that’s likely enough.” i “It is unquestionably the mark of his thumb,” “It would strike him that in disappearing he might The securing of this new series of Sherlock Holmes stories is one of the Sreatest of mod- ern newspaper achievements. It gives THE EVENING WORLD readers a complete story every Saturday for thirteen consecutive Saturdays, and they are the best detective stories of twentieth century production. The first story, ‘The Mystery of the Empty House,” ap- peared in a special color supplement to THE EVENING WORLD of Saturday, Feb. 11. The d at the same time have an ample and ry “There, that's enough,” sald Lestrade. “I am a practical man, Mr. off his track, an a Holmes, and when I have got my evidence I come to my conclusions, If you > upon his old aweetheart if he could give the impression second you have here to-day. The other eleven will appear in THE EVENING WORLD as follows: ; the hall, Besides, {t's not in 4 very prominent place, as you sec,” af he hs . Tt was a masterpiece of vil have anything to say, you will find me writing my report in the altting- iy a ne if ee is idea of the 1 would vious motive for the crime, the secret visit unknown to hig {he retention of the stick, the blood, and the animal re in the wood =lle, all were admirable, ‘It waa a neg from while to me, a few hours ago, that there was mo possible escape, But that supreme gift of tho artist, the knowledge of when to stop, to improve that which was already perfect—to draw the rope round the neck of his unfortunate victim—and so he ruined descend, Lestrade, ‘There are just one or two questions that 1 him,” / ‘ The malignant creature was seated in his own parlor, with @) man upon each side of him. - th “It was a Joke, my good sir—a practical joke, nothing” whined Incessantly. “I assure you, sir, that I simply concealed, % order to see the effect of my disappearance, and I am sure that not be so unjust as to imagine that I would have allowed any ha poor young Mr, McFarlane.” ad ‘That's for a Jury to decide,” sald Lestrade. “Any how, we d i room,” (4 Holmes had recovered his equanimity, though 1 still seemed to detect gleams of amusement in his expreasion. “Dear me, this {s a very sad development. Watson is it not?” sald he, “And yet there are singular points about it which hold out some hopes for our client.” “Tam delighted to hear it,” said I, heartily, ‘I was afraid it was all up with him.” “I would hardly go so far as to say that, my dear Watson. The fact is that there 1s one really serious flaw in this evidence to which our friend attaches so much importance,” “Indeed, Holmes! Whft je it?” “Only this; that I know that that mark was not there when I examined the hall yesterday And now, Watson, let us have a little stroll round in the sunshine.” With a confused brain, but with a heart into which some warmth of hope was returning, I accompanied my friend in a walk round the garden, Saturday, Feb, 25—The Mystery of the Dancing Men. Saturday, March 4—The Mystery of the Solitary Cyclist, Saturday, March 11—The Adventure of the Priory School, \ Saturday, March 18—The Mystery of Black Peter. Saturday, March 25—The Mystery of Charles Augustus Milvertone’. Saturday, April J—The Adventure of the Six Napoleons. fe afer she he she af ofr ofr oft she of afr ofr oho oho of of | charge of conspiracy, if not for attempted murder,’ Holmes took each face of the house In turn, and examined it with great Sy Saturday, April 8—The Mystery of the Three Students. % 7 ae Scent tel sen yean esthiee te interest, He then led the way inside, and went over the whole building © Saturday, April 15—The Adventure of the Gold Pince-Nez. scan of MaRS Ren cnt if from basement to attic, Most of the rooms were unfurnished, but none the ih a : rt aa . The littl tarted and turned his malignant eyes upon less Holmes inspected them all minutely. Finally, on the top corridor, Saturday, April 22—The Mystery ot the Missing Three: Quarter The little man s' mm 1% “T have to thank you for a good deal,” sald he, “Perhaps I’ i debt some day.” Holmes smiled indulgently, Saturday, April 29—The Mystery of the Abbey Grange. Saturday, May 6—The Adventure of the Second Stain, which ran outside three untenanted bedrooms, he again was seized with a spasm of merriment. ste ctentente “There are really some very unique features about this case, Watson,” f “1 fancy that for some few years you will find your thme ¥ sald he, “[ think it Is time now that we took our friend Lestrade into our oveupied,"' said he. “By the way, what was tt you put tuto thls confidence, He has had his little smile at our expense, and perhaps we may (s An) besides your old trousers? A dend’ dog, of rabbits, or what do as much by him if my reading of the problem proves te be correct. Yes, bad tell? Dear me, how vary unkind of you! ‘Well, well, 1 tee Tea T thine I see how! vo ehaniarapproach th: GET THEM ALL / GET THEM ALL / couple of rabbits would account both for the blood and for The Scotland Yard Inspector was still writing in the parlor when + e e esata ever you write an account, Watson, you can make ral Holmes approavhed him, $i 2 al (The End.) “LT understood that you were writihg a report of this case,” sald fe, p vsotan” Wh asap ahs ahs chan af of op oho oso ojs obs obs abe ofa offs afocfe aps ofucli hs ofs taal “Dog't you think it may be a little premature? I can’t help think- Next SaturdaysThe Mystery of the Oar