Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-05-30
CHAPTER V.-CoNrrNUED

CHAPTER v.-CoNTINUED
''What strange placer she said,
hooking around.
SIT looks as though all the moles in
England had been let loose in it. 1
have seen something of the sort on the
zside of hill near Ballarat, where the
prospectors had been at work"
'tAnd from the same cause" said
Holmes. ''These are the traces of
-treasure-seekers. You must remember
that they were six years looking for it.
No wonder that the ground looks like
"a gravelpit."
At that moment the door burst open,
and Thaddeus Sho1to came running
out, with his hands thrown forward
and terror in his eyes.
''There is something amiss with Bar
tho1omewi' he cried. 81 am fright
~ened! My nerves cannot stand it," He
was, indeed, half blubbering with fear,
and his twitching, feeble face, peeping
out from the great Astrakhan collar,
had the helpless, appealing expression
of a terrified child.
''Come into the house." said Holmes,
nm his crisp, firm way.
Eyes, dol" pleaded Thaddeus Sholto.
ST really do not feel equal to giving di-
zrections.'
We all followed him into the house
keepers room, which stood upon the
1eft-hand side of the passage. The old
woman was pacing up and down with
"a scared look and restless, picking
fingers, but the sight of Miss Morstan
appeared to have soothing effect upon
her.
''God bless your sweet calm FACET
she cried, with hysterical sob. ''1t
does me good to see you Oh, but I
have been sorely tired this dayw
Our companion patted her thin, work
worn hand, and murmured some few
words of kindly womanly comfort
which brought the color back into the
Others bloodless cheeks. ~ -.
Master has locked himself in and
will not answer me-" she explained.
~'All day 1 have waited to hear from
him, for he often likes to be alone; but
an hour ago 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
for yourself. have seen Mr.. Barthol-
.omew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for
ten long years, but I never saw him
with such face on him as that"
Sherlock Holmes took the lamp and
He'd the way, for Thaddeus Sholto's
teeth were chattering in his head. So
shaken was he that / had to pass my
hand under his arm as we went up the
stairs, for his knees were trembling
under him. Twice as we assembled
Holmes whipped his lens out of his
pocket and carefully examined marks
which appeared to me to be mere
-shapeless smudges of dust upon the
cocoa-nut mating which served as q
4stair-carpet- He walked slowly from
step to step, holding the lamp low, and
shooting keen glances to right and
left. Miss Morstan had remained be-
hind with the frightened housebeeper
The third fight of stairs ended in 8
straight passage of some length, with
"A great picture in Indian tapestry.upoI
the right of it and three doors upon the
left. Holmes advanced along it in the
same slow and methodical way, while
we kept close at his heels, with oul
long black shadows streaming back
wards down the corridor. The thirC
door was that which we were seeking
Holmes knocked without receiving any
answer, and then tried to turn the
handle and force it open. It wa
locked on the inside, however, and by :
broad and powerful bolt, as we coule
see when we set our lamp mp agains
it. The key being turned, however