The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-02-08
TContinued from Wednesdays issu

slipped it into his pocket. 1t was clear
that he thought that our nights work
might be serious one.
Miss Morstan was muffied in dark
cloak, and her sensitive face was COM
posed, but pale She must have been
more than woman if she did not feel
some uneasiness at the strange enter
prise upon which we were embarking,
yet her self-control was perfect, and
she readily answered the few addition
al questions which Sherlock Holmes
put to her.
maj. Sholto was very particular
friend of papa's," she said. ''His let
ters were full of illusions to the major
He and papa were in command of the
troops at the Andaman islands, so they
were thrown great deal together. BY
the way, curious paper was found in
papa's desk which no one could under
stand. don't suppose that it is of the
slightest Importance, but 7 thought
you might care to see it, so l brought
it with me. 1t is here"
Holmes unfolded the paper careful
ly and smoothed it out upon his knee.
He then very methodically examined
it all over with his double lens.
cit is paper of native Indian manu.
facture," he remarked. 'It has at some
time been pinned to a board. The dla-
gram upon it appears to be a plan OF
part of a large building with numer-
Gus halls, corridors, and passages. At
one point is small cross done in red
ink, and above it is 1897 from left in
faded pencil-writing. In the left-hand
corner is curious hieroglyphic like
four crosses in a line with their arms
touching. Beside it is written, in very
rough and coarse characters, The sign
of the four,-Jonathan Small, Mahomet
Singh, Abdullah Khan, Dost Akbar.'
No, l confess that l do not see how
this bears upon the matter. Yet it is
evidently a document of Importance.
1t has been kept carefully in pocket
book; for the one side is as clean as the
other"
'It was in his pocketbook that we
found it,
Preserve it carefully, then, Miss
Morstan, for it may prove to be of use
to us. / begin to suspect that this mat
ter may turn out to be much deeper
and more subtle than l at first sup
posed. l must reconsider my ideas. !"
He leaned back in the cab, and could
see by his drawn brow and his vacant
eye that he was thinking intently.
Miss Morstan and chatted in an un-
dertone about our present expedition
and it's possible outcome, but our com
panion maintained his impenetrable re-
serve until the end of our journey.
1t was September evening, and not
yet seven o'clock, but the day had been
dreary one, and dense drizzling fog
lay low upon the great city. Mud
colored clouds dropped sadly over the
muddy streets. Down the Strand the
lamps were but misty splotches of diff
fused light which threw feeble cir
cular glimmer upon the Shiny pave
ment. The yellow glare from the shop
windows streamed out into the steamy,
vaporous air, and threw a murky,
shifting radiance across the crowded
thoroughfare. There was to my mind
something eerie and ghost-like in the
endless procession of faces which fitted
across these narrow bars of light-sa6
faces and glad, haggard and merry
Like all human kind, they fitted from
the gloom into the light, and so bacl
into the gloom once more. l am no
subject to impressions, but the dull
heavy evening, with the strange bust
ness upon which we were engaged
combined to make me nervous and de
pressed. l could see from Miss MOI
STAINS manner that she was suffering
from the same feeling. Holmes alon
could rise superior to petty influences
lie held his open notebook upon hi
knee, and from time to time he jotte
down figures and memoranda in tn
light of his pocket lantern.
At the Lyceum theater the crowd
were already thick at the side Ell
frances In front a continuous streal
of hansoms and four-wheelers wer
rafting up, discharging their cargoe
of shirt-fronted men and beshawleC
pediamonded women. We had hardl
reached the third pillar, which was OF
rendezvous, before a small, dark, bris
man in the dress of a coachman a
costed us.
Are you the parties who come wit
Miss Morstan?" he asked.
81 am Miss Morstan, and these tv
gentlemen are my friends" said she.
He bent pair of wonderfully pen
trating and questioning eyes upon u
"You will excuse me, miss" he sal
with certain logged manner, "but
was to ask you to give me your wo
that neither of your companions is
police officer"
81 give you my word on that" s
answered.
He gave shrill whistle, on which
street Arab led across a four-wheel
and opened the door. The man W
had addressed us mounted to the be
while we took our places inside.
had hardly done so before the dri0
whipped up his horse, and we plung
away alta furious pace through I
foggy streets.
The situation was curious one,
were driving to an unknown place,