The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-07
Continued From Last Sunday.
VII
DEATH ON THE MOOR.

less, hardly able to believe my ears.
Then my senses and my voice came
back to me, while a crushing weight
of responsibility seemed in an instant
to be lifted from my soul. That cold.
incisive, ironical voice could belong to
but one man in all the world.
"IIolmes!" 1 cried-"Holmes!"
Come out" said he, land please be
careful with the revolver"
l stopped under the rude Intel. and
there he eat upon a stone outside, his
grey eyes dancing with amusement as
they fell upon my astonished features.
He was thin and worn, but clear and
alert, his keen face bronzed by the sun
and roughened by the wind. In his
tweed suit and cloth cap he looked like
any other tourist upon the moor, and
he had contrived, with that cat-iike
love of personal cleanliness which was
one of his characteristics, that his chin
should be as smooth and his linen as
perfect as if he were in Baker street.
Il never was more glad to see anyone
in nv life" said l, as l wrung him by
the hand.
"Or more aStoniShed, en-
well, / must confess to 1t.
1.-The surprise was not all on one
side. 1 assure you. I had no idea that
Won had found my occasional retreat,
still less that you were inside it, until
I was within twenty PAGES OF the
door"
MY footprint, ! presume?"
''No. Watson; fear that / could not
undertake to recognize your footprint
amid all the footprints of the world.
If you seriously desire to deceive me
you must change your tobacconlst; lot
when l see the stub of a cigarette
marked Bradley, oxford street, l know
that my friend Watson is in the neigh
borhood. You will see it there beside
the path You threw it down, no
doubt, at that supreme moment when
you charged into the empty hut"
Exactly"
II thought as much-and knowing
your admirable tenacity 1 was con-
WINGED that you were sitting in am
bush, a weapon within reach, waiting
for the tenant to return. So you ac-
tually thought that 1 was the crimi-
nal?"
81 did not know who you We're, but
was determined to find out"
Excellent, Watson! And how did
you localize me? You saw me, per
haps, on the night of the convict hunt,
when l was so imprudent as to allow
the moon to rise behind me?"
Eyes, l saw you then"
"And have no doubt searched all the
huts until you came to this one%
mo, your boy had been observed
and that gave me guide where te
look"
1.-THE old gentleman with the tele-
scope. no doubt. l could not make il
out when first / saw the light flashing
upon the lens" He rose and peeped
into the hut. "Ha, 1 see that Cart
wright has brought UP some supplies
What's this paper? SO you have been
to Cooombe Tracey, have youM
Eyes"
ITO see Mrs. Laura 'Lyons?"
Exactly"
well done! Our researches have
evidently been running on parallel
lines, and when we unite our results
1 expect we shall have a fairly full
knowledge of the case"
Well l am glad from my heart that
you are here, for indeed the RESPONSE
bility and the mystery were both be-
coming too much for my nerves. But
how in the name of wonder did you
come here, and what have you been
doing? l thought that you were in
Baker street working out that case
of Matchmaking"
THAT was what wished you tc
think"
''Then you use me- and yet do not
trust mel" / cried, with some bitter
ness. 81 think that 1 have deserved
better at your hands, Holmes"
my dear fellow, you have been in
valuable to me in this as in many other
cases. and / beg that you will forgive
me If l have seemed to play a trick
upon you. In truth, it was partly fol-
your own sake that l did ii, and II
was my appreciation of the danger il
which you ran which led me to cC<
down and examine the matter for my
self. Had l been with Sir Henry anC
you it is confident that my point o.
view would have been the same a!
yours. and my presence would have
warned our very formidable opponent:
to be on their guard. AS it is, / have
been able to get about as / could no
possibly have done had l been living
in the Hall. and I remain an unknown
factor in the business, ready to throw
in all my weight at a critical mo
ment."
But why keep me in the dark"
For you to know could not have
helped us, and might possibly have lee
to my discovery. You would have wish
ed to tell me something, or in you
kindness you would have brought m,
out some comfort or other, and so al
unnecessary risk would be run.
brought Cartwright down with me
you remember the little chap at tn,
Express office-and he has seen afte
my simple wants: loaf of bread ant
a clean collar. What does man wan
more? He has given me an extra PAL
of eyes upon very active pair of feet
and both have been invaluable"
Then my reports have all been vast
edi"-My voice trembled as l recalled
the pains and t<-~ pride with which
had composed them.
Holmes took a bundle of papers from
his pocket.
Here are your reports, my dear fell
low, and very well thumbed / assur,
you. l made excellent arrangements
and they are only delayed one day up
on their way. ! must compliment yot
exceedingly upon the zeal and the in.
telligence which you have shown owe
an extraordinarily difficult case"
/ was still rather raw over the de
ception which had been practiced up
on me. but the warmth of Holmes
praise drove my anger from my mind
felt also in my heart that he wa!
right in what he said and that IL wai
really best for our purpose that
should not have known that he wal
GIon the moor
That's better" said he, seeing tn,
shadow rise from my face. And nov
tell me the result OF your visit to Mrs
Laura Lyons-it was not difficult 70
me to guess that il was 10 see hel
that you had gone, for ! ann alread
aware that she Is the one person il