The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-17

ers heart and dragged our name in the
dirt. From crime to crime he sank
lower and lower, until it is only the
mercy of God which has snatched him
from the scaffold; but to me, sir, he
was always the little curly-headed boy
that 1 had nursed and played with, as
an elder sister would. That was why
he broke prison, sir. He knew that l
was here and that we could not refuse
to help him. When he dragged him
self here one night, weary and starry
ing, with the Warders hard at his heels,
what could we do? We took him in
and fed him and cared for him. Then
you returned, sir, and my brother
thought he would be safer on the moor
than anywhere else until the hue and
cry was over, so he lay in hiding there.
But every second night we made sure
if he was still there by putting a light
in the window, and if there was an
answer my husband took out some
bread and meat to him. Every day we
hoped that he was gone, but as long as
he was there we could not desert him.
That is the whole truth, as 1 am an
honest Christian woman, and you will
see that if there is blame in the matter
it does not lie with my husband, but
with me, for whose sake he has done
all that he has
The woman's words came with an in
tense earnestness which carried con-
Viction with them.
is this true, Barrymore"
yes, Sir Henry. Every word of it."
We'll, cannot blame you for stand
ing by your own wife. Forget what I
have said. Go to your room, you two,
and we shall talk further about this
matter in the morning"
When they were gone we looked out
of the window again. Sir Henry had
flung it open, and the cold night wind
beat in upon our faces. Far away in
the black distance there still glowed
that one tiny point of yellow light.
II wonder he dares,' said Sir Henry.
sit may be so placed as to be only
visible from here"
Very likely. How far do you think
1t is?'
"Out by the Cleft Tor, I think"
Not more than a mile or two off"
Hardly that"
well, it cannot be far if Barrymore
had to carry out the food to it, And
he is waiting, this villain, beside that
candle. By thunder, Watson, 1 am go
ing out to take that mani"
The same thought had crossed my
own mind. 1t was not as if the Bar
rymores had taken US into their con-
fidence. Their secret had been forced
from them. The man was a danger to
the community, an unmitigated scoun-
drel for whom there was neither pity
nor excuse. We were only doing our
duty in taking this chance of putting
him back where he could do no harm
With his brutal and violent nature,
others would have to pay the price if
we held our hands ANY night, for ex-
ample, our neighbors the Stapletons,
might be attacked by him, and it may
have been the thought of this which
made Sir Henry so keen upon the ad-
venture.
Il will come" said 1.
Then get your revolver and put on
your boots. The sooner we start the
better, as the fellow may put out his
light and be off,"
In nVe minutes we were outside the
door, starting upon our expedition. We
hurried through the dark shrubbery,
amid the dull moaning of the autumn
wind and the rustic of the falling
leaves. The night air was heavy with
the smell of damp and decay. Now
and again the moon peeped out for an
instant, but clouds were driving over
the face of the sky, and just as we
came out on the moor a thin rain be-
gan to fall. The light still burned
steadily in front.
Are you armed?" I asked.
Il have hunting crop"
I'VE must close in on him rapidly,
for he is said to be a desperate fellow
We shall take him by surprise and
have him at our mercy before he can
resist
II say. Watson" said the baronet
what would Holmes say to this? How
about that hour of darkness in which
the power of evil is exalted?"
AS if in answer to his words there
rose suddenly out of the vast gloom of
the moor that strange cry which l had
already heard upon the borders of the
great Grimpen Mire. 1t came with the
wind through the silence of the night,
a long, deep mutter, then a rising howl,
and then the sad moan in which it died
away. Again and again it sounded,
the whole air throbbing with it, stu-
dent, wild, and menacing. The baro-
net caught my sleeve and his face
glimmered white through the dark
ness.
my God, what's that, Watson?"
II don't know. It's a sound they
have on the moor 1 heard it once be-
FORE
1t died away, and an absolute silence
closed in upon us. We stood straining
our ears. but nothing came.
Watson" said the baronet, sit was
the cry of hound"
he