The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-24

When the butler had left US Sir Henry
turned to me. well. Watson, what
do you think of this new light?"
ut seems to leave the darkness
rather blacker than before"
SO think. But if we can only trace
L. l.. it should clear up the whole bus
mess. We have gained that much We
know that there is someone who has
the facts if we can only find her.
What do you think we should do?"
Let Holmes know all about it at
once. 1t will give him the clue for
which he has been seeking. l am much
mistaken if it does not bring him
down."
| went at once 10 nv room and drew
up my report of the meanings CONVEX
sation for Holmes. 1t was evident to
me that he had been very busy of late,
for the notes '"hieh l had from Baker
street were few and short, with no
comments upon the information which
I had supplied, and hardly any refer
ence to my mission. No doubt mis-
| matchmaking case is absorbing all his
faculties. And yet this new factor
must surely arrest his attention and
renew his interest. L. wish that he
were here.
, October 17th.-All day to-day the
rain poured down, rustling on the ivy
and dripping from the caves. l thought
of the convict out upon the bleak, cold,
shelterless moor. Poor DEVIL What
| ever his crimes, he has suffered some
thing to atone for Them And then l
| thought of that other one-the face in
| the cab, the figure against the moon.
Was he also out in that deluge-the
unseen watcher, the man of darkness?
In the evening l put on my waterproof
| and l walked far upon the sodden
moor, full of dark imaginngs, the rain
beating upon my face and the wind
| whistling about my ears. God help
those who wander into the great mire
now, for even the firm uplands are be-
coming morass. / found the black
tor upon which l had seen the solitary
watcher, and from it's craggy summit
| looked out myself across the mel
ancholy downs. Rain squalls drifted
across their russell face, and the
heavy, slate-colored clouds hung low
over the landscape, trailing in grey
wreaths down the sides of the fantaS-
tic hills. In the distant hollow on the
left, half hidden by the mist, the two
thin towers of Baskerville Hall rose
above the trees. They were the only
signs of human life which / could see,
save only those prehistoric huts which
lay thickly upon the slopes of the hills.
Nowhere was there any trace of that
lonely man whom 1 had seen on the
| SdlliS SpOl TWO DelOTt.
AS 1 walked back 1 was overtaken
| by DR.. Mortimer driving in his dog
cart over a rough moorland track,
which led from the outlying farm
house of Foulmire. He has been very
attentive to us, and hardly day has
passed that he has not called at the
Hall to see how we were getting on.
He insisted upon my climbing into his
dog-ca and he gave me a lift home
wards. | found him much troubled
over the disappearance of his little
spaniel 1t had wandered on to the
moor and had never come back. 1 gave
him such consolation as 1 might, but
| | thought of the pony on the Grimpen
Mire, and l do not fancy that he will
see his little dog again.
BY the way, Mortimer" said I, as
we jolted along the rough road, II sup
pose there are few people living with
in driving distance of this whom you
do not know?"
Hardly any. / think"
Can you, then, tell me the name of
any woman whose initials are L. L. %
He thought for a few minutes.
NO" said he, there are a few gyp-
sizes and laboring folk for whom l can't
answer, but among the farmers or gem
try there is no one whose initials are
those. Wait a Bit though" he added,
after a pause. There is Laura Lyons
her initials are L. L-but she lives
| in Coombe Tracey"
"Who is she?" l asked.
She is Frankland's daughter"
What! Old FARMLAND the crank?'
Exactly She married an artist
named Loyns. who came sketchng on
the moor. He proved to be a black
guard and deserted her. The fault,
| from what l hear, may not have been
entirely on one side. Her father re-
fused to have anything to do with
| her, because she had married without
his consent, and perhaps for one or two
other reasons as we'll. So. between the
old sinner and the young one the girl
has had a pretty bad time"
How does she live?"
Il fancy old Frankland allows her a
| pittance, but it cannot be more, for
his own affairs are considerably in
volved. Whatever she may have de-
| served one could not allow her to go
hopelessly to the bad Her story got
about, and several of the people here
did something to enable her to earn
an honest living. stapleton did for
one, and Sir Charles for another.
gave trihe myself. 1t was to set her
up in a typewriting business
He wanted to know the object of my
inquiries. but l managed to satisfy his
curiosity without telling him too much.
for there is no reason why we should
take anyone into our confidence. To-
morrow morning 1 shall find my way
to Coombe Tracey. and if l can see
this Mrs. Laura Lyons of equivocal
reputation, a long step will have been
made towards clearing one incident in
this chain of mysteries. / am certain
ly developing the wisdom of the SER
pent, for when Mortimer pressed his
questions to an inconvenient extent l
asked him casually to what type
Franklands skull belonged. and so
heard nothing but craniology for the
rest of our drive. have not lived for
years with Sherlock Holmes for moth
ing.
have only one other incident TO
record upon this tempestuous and mel
ancholy day. This was my conversa-
tion with Barrymore just now, which
gives me one more strong card which
l can play In due time.
Mortimer had stayed 10 dinner, and
he and the baronet played ecarte aft
erwards. The butler brought me my
coffee into the library. and ] took the
chance 10 ask him a few questions
We'll" said /, has this precious
relation Of yours departed, or Is he
still lurking out yOnder?"
Il don't know sir. ! hope 10 heav-
en- he has gone, for be has brought