Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-06-19
Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable

faced his dinner with the air of boz
vivant. For myself, felt elated a
the thought that we were nearing tn,
end of our task, and caught some
thing of Holmes gayety. None of III
alluded during dinner to the cause
which had brought us together.
When the cloth was cleared Holme.
glanced at his watch and filed vi
three glasses with port. "One
bumper" said he, 'to the success o.
our little expedition. And now it is
high time we were off. Have you g
pistol, Watson?"
81 have my old service revolver in
my desk"
''You had best take it, then. 1t is well
to be prepared. / see the cab is at the
door. ordered it for half-past six"
1t was little past seven before we
reached the Westminster wharf and
found our launch awaiting us. Holmes
eyed il critically.
SIS there anything to mark it as a
police boat?"
"Yes-that green lamp at the side. y
''Then take it OFF,"
The small change was made, we
stepped on board, and the ropes were
cast off. Jones, Holmes and / sat in
the stern. There was one man at the
rudder, one to tend the engines, and
two burly police inspectors forward.
''Where too" asked Jones.
''To the tower. Tell them to stop
opposite to Jacobson's yard"
Our craft was evidently very fast
one. We shot past the long lines of
loaded barges as though they were sta
tionary. Holmes smiled with satisfac-
ton as we overhauled a river steam
er and left her behind US.
''We ought to be able to catch any
thing on the river" he said.
'Well, hardly that. But there are
not many launches to beat u.s."
''We shall have to catch the Aurora,
and she has name for being clipper.
will tell you how the land lies, Wat
son. You recollect how annoyed was
at being baked by so small thing?"
eyes,
swell, gave my mind thorough
rest by plunging into a chemical
analysis. One of our greatest states
men has said that change of work is
the best rest. So it is. When had
succeeded in dissolving the Jhydrocar-
bon which I was at work at, came
back to our problem of the Sholtos, and
thought the whole matter out again.
My boys had been up the
river and down the river without
result. The launch was not at
any landing stage or wharf, nor had it
returned. Yet it could hardly have
been scuttled tc hide their traces.
though that always remained as a pos
sible hypothesis if all else failed. I
knew that this man Small had GER
tain degree of low cunning, but did
not think him capable of anything in
the nature of delicate fnesse. That is
usually a product of higher education.
/ then reflected that since he had GER
tainly been in London some time-as
we had evidence that he maintained
continual watch over Pondicherry
lodge-he could hardly leave at mo-
ment's notice, but would need some
little time, if it were only a day, to
arrange his affairs. That was the bal
ance Of proba bility, at any rate"
''It seems to me to be little weak"
said 1. ct is more probable that he
had arranged his affairs before ever he
set out upon his expedition"
''No, I hardly think so. This lair of
his would be too valuable retreat in
case of need for him to give it up until
he was sure that he could do without
it. But second consideration struck
me: Jonathan Small must have felt
that the peculiar appearance of his
companion, however much he may
have top-coated him, would give rise
to gossip, and possibly be associated
with this Norwood tragedy. He was
quite sharp enough to see that. They
had started from their headquarters
under cover Of darkness, and he