Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-05-29

| lance in the cold gray light. :h
| square, massive house, with its black
empty windows and high, bare walls
lowered up, sad and forlorn, behint
us. Our course led right across tn,
grounds, in and out among the trenches
and pits with which they were SCARED
and intersected. The whole place
with it's scattered dirt heaps and i'll
grown shrubs, had 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 G
corner screen by a young beech
Where the two walls joined, several
bricks had been loosened, and the crev.
ices left were worn down and rounded
upon the lower side, as though they
had frequently been used as a ladder.
Holmes clambered up, and, taking the
dog from me, he dropped it over upon
the other side.
There's the print of wooden-leg's
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 ight-and-twenty
hours start"
l confess that had my doubts my
self when I 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
different ways. This, however, is the
readiest, and, since fortune has put it
into our hands, should be culpable if
neglected it. It 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
1. II 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
MANI"
''Pshaw, my dear boy! it was sim
plicity itself. I don't wish to be
theatrical. 1t is all patent and above
board. Two officers who are in COM
mand of 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-
that we saw the name upon
the chart in Capt. Morstan's possession.
He had signed it in behalf of himself
Ind his associates-the sign of the
'our, as he somewhat dramatically
called it. Aided by this chart, the
one of them-gets the
treasure and brings it to England,
eaving, we will suppose, some condi--
ion under which he received it unful-
filed. Now, then, why did not
Jonathan Small get the treasure him
self? The answer is obvious. The
chart is dated at a time when Morstan
vas brought into close association
With convicts. Jonathan Small did
lot get the treasure because he and his
associates were themselves convicts
Ind could not get away"
''But this is mere speculation, said I.
sit is more than that. 1t is the only
hypothesis which covers the facts. Let |
is see how it fits in with the sequel.
Maj. Sholto remains at peace for some
years, happy in the possession of his
reasure. Then he receives a letter
rom India which gives him a great |
right. What was that?'
ga letter to say that the men whom
lie had wronged had been set free"
''Or had escaped. That is much more
likely, for he would have known what |
heir term of imprisonment was. 1t |
would not have been surprise to him.
What does he do then? He guards him
elf against a wooden-legged mana
white man, mark you, for he mistakes
white tradesman for him, and actual
y fires pistol at him. Now, only one
White mans name is on the chart.
The others are Hindoos or Moham-
nedans. There is no other white man.
Therefore we may say with confidence
hat the wooden-legged man is identi-
al with Jonathan Small. Does the
easoning strike you as being faulty?"
mo: it is clear and concise"
SWELL, now, let us put ourselves in
he place of Jonathan Small. Let us
ook at it from his point of view. He
ONES to England with the double idea
f regaining what he would consider to
e his rights and of having his revenge
pom the man who had wronged him
lie found out where Sholto lived, and
cry possibly he established communi-
ations with some one inside the house.
here is this butler, Lal Rao, whom we
ave not seen. Mrs. Bernstone gives
e 4 L