Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-07-16

ianu, ana on the night OF MorStanS ar
rival he came straight over here to
claim his share. He walked over from
the station, and was admitted by nv
faithful old Lal Chowdar, who is now
dead. Morstan and had a difference
OF opinion as to the division of the
treasure, and we came to heated words.
Morstan had sprung out of his chair in
paroxysm of anger, when he sudden
ly pressed his hand to his side, his face
turned duslSy hue, and he fell back
wards, cutting his head against the
corner of the treasure-chest. When I
stopped over him found, to my horror,
that he was dead.
For long time / sat half dis
tracted, wondering what | should do.
My first impulse was, of course, to
| call for assistance; but could not but
| recognize that there was every chance
that would be accused of his murder.
His death at the moment of a quarrel.
| and the cash in his head, would be
black against me. Again, an official
| inquiry could not be made without
| bringing out some facts about the
treasure, which was particularly
anxious to keep secret. He had told
me that no soul upon earth knew
where he had gone. There seemed to
| be no necessity why any soul ever
| should know.
Il was still bordering over the mat
ter, when, looking up, | saw my serv-
ant, Lal Chowdar, in the doorway.
He stole in, and bolted the door behind
him. do not fear, sahib," he said.
No one need know that you have
killed him. Let us hide him away,
and who is the wiser?'' 81 did not
kill him." said l. Lal Chowdar shook
/ his head, and smiled. "I heard it all
sabib," said he. II heard you quarrel,
and / heard the blow But nv Inns
are sealed. All are asleepin the house.
Let us put him away together" That
was enough TO decide me. If my own
servant could not believe nv inno-
cence, how could hope to make it
| good before twelve foolish tradesmen in
a jury box? Lal Chowdar and dis
posed of the body that night, and
within few days the London papers
were full of the mysterious disappear
ance of Capt Morstan. You will see
from what l say that l can hardly be
blamed in the matter. My fault lies in
the fact that we concealed, not
only the body, but also the
treasure, and that have chung
to Morstan's share as well as to
my own. | wish you, therefore, to
make restitution. Put your ears down
| to my mouth The treasure is hidden
IN At this instant a horrible change
came over his expression; his ewes
stared wildly, his jaw dropped, and he
| yelled in voice | can never FORGET:
keep him outl For Christ's sake keen
him outP We both stared round at the
window behind us upon which his gaze
| was liked "A face was looking in at us
out of the darkness. We could see the
whitening of the nose where it was
pressed against the glass. 1t was a
bearded, hairy face, with wild, cruel
| eyes and an expression of concentrated
malevolence. My brother and I rushed
towards the window, but the man was
gone When we returned TO my father
his head had dropped and his pulse had
ceased to beat.
| I'VE searched the garden that nirht.
but found no sign of the intruder, save
that just under the window single
footmarli was visible in the flower-bed.
But for that one trace, we might have
thought that our imaginations had con-
jured up that wild, fierce face. We
soon, however, had another and more
striking proof that there were secret
agencies at work all around us The
window of my fathers room was found
open in the morning. his cupboards and
boxes had been rifed. and upon his
chest was fixed a torn piece of paper,
with the words The sign Of the four
scrawled across it. What the phrase
i xuh .-;.
have been, we never knew. AS far as
we can judge, none of my fathers
property had been actually stolen,
Though everything had been turned
put. My brother and naturally asso-
ciated this peculiar incident with the
fear which haunted my father during
his life; but it is still n complete mys-
terry to u.s."
The little man stopped to relight his
hoolSah, and pulled thoughtfully for a
few moments. We had all sat absorbed,
listening to his extraordinary narra-
tive. At the short account of her ia
theirs death Miss Morstan had turned
deadly white, and for a moment
feared that she was about TO faint She
rallied, however, on drinking a glass of
| ""eSA winch IdAcIly pOuTec OUT 1Or
her from a Venetian carafe upon the
side table. Sherlock Holmes leaned
back in his chair with an distracted
depression and the lids drawn low
over his glittering epes. AS I glanced
at him | could not but think how on
that very day he had complained bit
terly of the commonplaceness of life.
Here, at least, was a problem which
would tax his sagacity to the utmost.
Mr.. Thaddeus Sholto looked from one to
the other of us with an obvious pride
at the effect which his story had pro-
duced, and then continued between
the puffs of his overgrown pipe.
"Aly brother and l." said he, were,
as you may imagine, much excited as
to the treasure which my father had
spoken of. For weeks and for months
| JkKM@i1S