Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-05-19
CHAPTER vi
sHFRI oCK HOLMES GIVES A DEMoSsTRA-


"Now, Watson" said Holmes, rub
bling his hands. I'VE have half an hour
TO ourselves Let us make good use OF
It. My case is, as ! have told you,
almost complete; but we must not err
on the side of ovcr-confidcncc. Simple
as the case seems now, there may be
something deeper underlying it,"
"Simple" calculated.
"Surelv," said he, with something of
the air of a clinical professor cXpound-
ing to his class. Just sit in the cor
ner there, that your footprints may not
complcate matters Now to work. In
the first place. how did these folks
come, and how did they 80? The door
has not been opened since last night.
How OF the window?' He carried the
lamp across to il, muttcring his obscr-
vations aloud the while, but address,
ing them TO himself rather than TO me.
Window is snibhed on the inner side.
Framework is solid. No hinges at the
side. Let MS open it. No water pipe
near. Root quite ont of reach. Ieta man
has mounted by the window. 1t rained
n little last night Here is the print Of
a mold upon the sill. And here is
circular muddy mark and here again
upon the floor. and here again by the
table. See here, Watson This is re-
ally very pretty demonstration"
looked at the round, well-dcfined
muddy discs. THAT is not a foot
mark" said |.
at is something much more valuable
to us. 1t is the impression of a wooden
stump. You see here on the sill is the
boot mark heavy boot with a broad
metal heel, and beside it is the mark of
the timbertOc.'
1t is the wooden-legged man"
quite SO. But there has been some
one clse---a very able and efficient ally.
Could YOU scale that wall, doctor?' 4
! looked out of the open window.
The moon still shone brightly on that
angle of the house. We were n good
sixty feet from the ground and, look
where would, could see no foUthold,
nor as much as crevice in the brick
work.
1T is absolutely impossible" an
swered
without aid il is So But suppose
you had friend up here who lowered
you this good stout rope which l see
in the corner, securing one end of it to
this great hook in the wall Then, l
think. if you We're an active man, you
might swarm up, wooden leg and all.
You would depart. of course, in the
same fashion, and your ally would
draw up the rope, unite il from the
hook. shut the window snib it on the
inside and get away in the way that
he originally came. As min or point. it
may be noted" he continued, lingering
the rope, that our wooden-lcgged
friend, thongh Il fair climber, was not
a professional sailor. His hands were
far from hornY. Ny lens discloses
more than one blood mark. especially
toward the end Of the rope, from which
! gather that ne slipped down with
such velocity that he took the skin off
his hands
This is all very we'll" said I. "but
the thing becomes more unintelligible
than ever. How about this mysterious
ally? How came he into the room?"
Yes, the ally repeated Holmes
pensivelv. There are features of in
Ierest about this ally. He lifts the
case from the regions OF the common
place. ! fancy that this ally break
fresh ground in the annals Of crime in
this countrv-though parallel cases
suggest themselves from India. and, il
my memory serves me, from Senegam
bia"
How came he then?' ] reiterated
"The door is locked. the window is in
accessible. Was it through the chin
ney?'
'The CRATE is much too small" III
answered. II had already considered
that possibility"
How them" persisted
"You will not apply my precept," h
said shaking his head. How often have
said TO you that when You have elimi
mated the impossible, whatever re
mains, however iJnproba BILE, must b'
the truth? We know that he did no
come through the door, the window, o
the chimney. We also know that h,
could not have been concealed in Thu
room, as there is no conceal ment pos
sible. Whence, then did he Gomez
He came through the hole in TIN
roof" | cried.
"Of course he did. He must hav
done So If you will have the kindnes
to hold the lamp For me, we shall nov
extend our researches to the room
aboye-thc secret room in which tn
treasure was found"
He mounted the steps, and, selling
rafter with either hand, he swung him
self up into the garnet. Then, lying o.
his face, he renchcd down for the LAM
and held it while followed him.
The chamber in which we found orr
selves was about ten feet one way y
SIX the other. The floor was formed b
the raftcrs, with thin lath-and plastc
between. SO that in walking one ha
to step from beam to beam. The roc
ran up to an apex, and was evidcntl
the inner shell of the true roof of tn
house. There was no furniture of an
sort, and the accumulated dust {
years lay thick upon the floor.
"Ilere you are, you see" said Sho
lock Holmes, putting his hand agains
the sloping wall. This is a trap-doc
which leads out onto the roof | ca
press il back and here is the roof i
self, sloping at a gentle angle. Thi
then, is the way by which Number Or
entered. Let us see if we can fin
some other Traces Of his individuality
Ilr held ,lou.r, tl'o '"'"n '.'.'a" Zoo
and as he did so l saw for the secor