Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-06-13
Certainly" I answered
ssYOur leo will stand it?'

4OOSs AL4C44 AZ Ivy SA4C44 4Os
He pushed the creosote handker-
chief under the dogs nose, while
the creature stood with its fluffy
legs separated, and with a most comical
cock to its head, like a connoisseur sniff
fng the bouquet of famous vintage.
Holmes then threw the handkerchief
to distance, fastened a stout cord to
the mongre1's collar, and led him to
the foot of the water barrel. The
creature instantly broke into a success
sion of high, tremulous yelps, and,
with his nose on the ground, and his
tail in the air, battered off upon the
trail at a pace which strained his leash
and kept US at the top of our speed.
The east had been gradually whiten-
ing, and we could now see some dis
tance in the cold gray light. The
square, massive house, with its black,
| empty windows and high, bare walls,
| lowered up, sad and for1orn, behind
US. Our course led right across the
| grounds in and out among the trenches
and pits with which they were SCARED
and intersected. The whole place,
with its scattered dirt heaps and ill
! grown shrubs, had a blighted, ILL
omened look which harmonized with
the black tragedy which hung over it.
On reaching the boundary wall, Toby
ran along, whining eagerly, underneath
its shadow, aud stopped finally in a
corner screen by a young beech.
Where the two walls joined, several
| bricks had been 1oosened, and the crew
ices left were worn down and rounded
upon the lower side, as though they
had frequently been used as ladder.
Holmes clambered up, and, taking the
| = L.
| the other side.
| There's the print of wooden-legs
hand" he remarked, as mounted up
beside him. ''You see the slight
smudge of blood upon the white
| plaster. What lucky thing it is that
we have had no very heavy rain since
yesterday! The scent will lie upon the
road in spite of their Extraordinarily
hours start"
I confess that I had my doubts my
self when / reflected upon the great
traffic which had passed along the Lon
don road in the interval. My fears
were soon appeased, however. Toby
never hesitated or swerved, but
waddled on in his peculiar rolling
fashion. Clearly the pungent smell
of the creosote rose high above all
other contending scents.
do not imagine" said Holmes, ''that
depend for my success in this case
upon the mere chance of one of these
fellows having put his foot in the chemi-
cal. I have knowledge now which
would enable me to trace them in many
different ways. This, however, is the
readiest, and, since fortune has put it
into our hands, I should be culpable if
| I neglected it. 1t has, however, pre-
vented the case from becoming the
pretty little intellectual problem
which it at one time promised to be.
There might have been some credit to
be gained out of it, but for this too
palpable clew."
There is credit, and to spare" said
I. 81 assure you, Holmes, that mar
vel at the means by which you obtain
your results in this case, even more
than did in the Jefferson Hope MUIR
der. The thing seems to me to be
deeper and more inexplicable. How, for
example, could you describe with such
confidence the wooden-legged man?"
''Pshaw, my dear boy! it was sim
plicity itself. 7 don't wish to be
theatrical 1t is all patent and above
board. Two officers who are in com
mand of a convict guard learn an i'm
portant secret as to buried treasure. A
map is drawn for them by an English
man named Jonathan Small. You re
member that we saw the name upon
;theChart in Capt. Morstan's possession.
He had signed it in behalf of hiInseli
and his associates-the sign of the
four, as he somewhat dramatically
called it. Aided by this chart, the
officers-or one of them-gets the
treasure and brings it to England
leaving. we viii suppose, some condi.
ton under which he received it unful-
filed. Now. then. why did not
Jonathan Small get the treasure him
self?n The answer is obvious. The
chartais datedat . time when Morstan
was brought into close association
| with convicts- Jonathan Small did
| not get the treasure because he and his
associates were themselves convicts
| and could notsget away
| but this is mere speculation, said I.
4 1T is more than that It is the only
i hypothesis which covers the facts Let
us see how it fits in with the sequel.
Maj. olto.rerpains at peace for some
ekyears, happy ia the possession of his
ktreasure. Then he receives q letter
from India which gives him a great
fright. What was that?"
L "a letter to say that the men whom
he had wronged had been set free
ssOr had escaped. That is much more
likely, for he would have known what
their term of imprisonment was. II