The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-10-19

/ Framework Is solid. No hinges Mt the
1 side. Let us open IL. No water pipe
near. Roof quite ont Of reach. Yeta man
| has mounted by the window. TRAINED
a little last night. Here Is the print of
| a mold upon the SILL And here Is a
! circular muddy mark. and here again
upor the floor. and here again by the
| table. See here. Watsonl This Is re-
| ally very pretty demonstration"
| I looked at the round, well-defned
muddy discs. THAT Is not foot
mark" said I.
1T Is something much more valuable
to as. II is the impression OF a wooden
stump. You see here on the sill Is the
boot mark, heavy boot with broad
metal heel, and beside II is the mark OF
the timber-toe.'
1T is the woodcn-legged man"
quite so. But there has been some
one else--a very able and efficient ally.
Could you scale that wall. doctor?"
locked out OF The open window.
The moon still shone brightly on that
angle Of the house. We were good
sixty feet from the ground, and, look
where would, could see no foothold,
hoT 40 hiuSh 10 . NtSfAcc AZ eaac oAtS"
work.
at is absolutely impossible" an
swered.
"Withont aid IL is so. But suppose
you had friend up here who lowered
you this good. stout rope which see
in the corner, securing one end Of IL TO
this great hook In the wall. Then,
think, IL you were an active man, you
might swarm up, wooden leg and all.
You would depart. of course, In the
same fashion, and your ally would
draw up the rope, unite il from the
hook. shut the window, snib il on the
he originally came. AS n minor point, IL
may be noted" he continued, lingering
the rope, shat our wooden-legged
friend though fair climber, was not
professional sailor. His hands were
far from horny. My lens discloses
more than one blood mark, especially
toward the end OF the rope, from which
gather that he slipped down with
such velocity that he took the skin or
his hands,"
''This is all very WE'LL" said /, ''but
the thing becomes more unintclligible
than ever. How about this mysterious
ally? How came he into the room?"
Yes. the allyr' repeated Holmes.
pensively. There are features of in
terest about this ally. lie lifts the
case from the regions OF the common
place. / fancy that this ally breaks
fresh ground in the annals of crime in
this country-thoughp parallel cases sug-
gest themselves from India, and, II my
memory serves me, from Senegambia.'
"How came he, then?" / reiterated.
1.-THE door is locked, the window is in
accessible. Was II through the Chin
ney?"
''The CRATE is much too small" he
answered. II had already considered
that possibility"
"Ilow thcn?p persisted
'You will not apply my precept." he
said. shaking his head. Glow OF. en- have
i said to you that when you have climb
mated the impossible, whatever re-
mains. however improbable, must be
the truth? We know that he did not
come through the door, the window, or
the chimney. We also know that he
could not have been concealed In the
room, as there is no conccalment pos
siblc. Whence, then, did be Gomez"
"He came through the hole in the
roof" cried.
''Of course he did. He must have
done so. II you win have the kindness
70 hold the lamp for me, we shall now
extend our researches 20 the room
nbovc-the secret room IN which the
treasure was found"
He mounted the steps, and. scizirg a
rafter with either hand, he swung him
self up into the garnet. Then, lying on
his face, he reached down for the lamp
and held IL while followed him.
The chamber in which we found our
selves was about ten feet one way by
six the other. The floor was formed by
the rafters, with thin lath-and-plastcr
between, so that In walking one Ind
to step from beam to beam. The roof
ran up TO an apex, and was evidently
the inner she'll Of the true roof of the
house. There was no furniture Of any
sort, and the accumulated dust of
years lay thick upon the floor.
Here you are, you see,' said Shcr-
lock Holmes, putting his hand against
the sloping wall. ",rhis Is trap-door
which lends out onto the roof. / can
press IL back, and here Is the roof it
self, sloping at n gentle angle. This,
then, is the way by which Number One
entered. Let as see IL we can find
some other traces of his individuality"
He held down the lamp to the floor.
and as he did SO / saw for the second
time that night n startled, surprised
look come over his face. For myself,
as ! followed his gaze my skin was cold
under my clothes. The floor was
covered thickly with the prints Of a
naked foot--clear, well defined, per-
fectly formed, but scarce half the sizc
Of those Of an ordinary man.
Holmes" / said, In whisper, "A
child has done this horrid thing"
lie had recovered his self-possession
In an instant. II was staggered for
L.. l..