The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-31
COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY tiARPER q BROTHERS.

DouBTlN THE WORLD THAT 1T HAS
carried him into the kitchen, where he
lay back in large chair, and bEsathed
with shamefaced APOLOGY for his
weakness, he rose once more.
"Watson would tell you that I have
only Just recovered from a severe ill
ness, - he explained. l'eI am liable to
these sudden nervous attacks..0
"Shall | send cy9u home in my
pon We s5P2s am esFs there IS Gni
sure; We can very easily verify it. =
What was itY b..
"Well, it seems to me that it is just
possible that the arrival Of this poor
fellow William was not before, but
after, the entrance of the burglar into
the house. You appear to take it for
granted that, although the door was
forced, the robber never got IN, !,
Mr.. Cunningham, gravely. "Why, my
son Alec had not yet gone to bed, and
he would certainly have heard any one
moving about -.
"Where was he sitting?'
~ was smoking in my dressing
room;v -..o,, .-..-.--.zs..
"The last on the left, next my
father 81
"Both Of your lamps were lit, OF
course9' ~r.
Undoubtedly
"There are some very singular points
here,'' said Holmes, smiling. Is it
not extraordinary that burglar-and
burglar who had had some previous
should deliberately break
into a house at a time when he could
see from the lights that two of the
family were still afoot?o
! she must have been a $ceol hand ''s
"Well, Of course, if the case were
| not an odd one we should not have
been driven to ask you for an e1plana-
tion,' said young Mr.. Alec. "But as
to your ideas that the man had robbed
the house before William tackled him.
Wondn i We have oE found the place et dis
arranged, and missed the things which
he had taken?' rs4r
were" said Holmes. "You must re-
member that we are dealing
with burglar who is a
very peculiar fellow and who appears
to work on lines Of his own. Look, fol
example, at the queer lot of things
which he took from Acton 's-What was
! "a ball of string, a letter-weight, ano
Il don't know what other odds ano
ends.''
"Well, we are quite in your hands
Mr.. Holiness said old Cunningham
"Anything which you or the inspector
may suggest will most certainly be
done.'' '.. F..
"In the first place. said Holmes
ct choii16 1ilxa Won IN offor rawa I'd
comine from Yourself, For the lof6eial:
may take a little time before the,
would agree upon the sum, and thes,
things cannot be done too promptly.
have jotted down the form here, if 20,
would not mind signing it. Fifty pounds
was quite enough, thought,
dred," said the J. P, taking the sill
S 2I9ef to aRG the Rfis Te quite e@
rect, however, he added, glancing owe
the document.
~ wrote it rather hurriedly. -
HYou see you begin, Whereas, a
about quarter to L on Tuesday morn
ing, an attempt was made, and 50 or
It was at quarter to IL, as matter 0
fact. -
[ was panied at the mistake, for
knew how keenly Holmes would fee
any slip of the kind. It was his spe
cialty to be accurate as to fact, bu
his recent illness had shaken him, an
this one little incident was enough t
show me that he was still far from be
ing himself. He was obviously embal
raised for an instant, while the inspet
tor raised his eyebrows, and Aleck Cur
bingham burst into a laugh. The oil
gentleman corrected the mistake, how
,, ever, and handed the paper back t
Holmes.
!, "Get it printed as soon as possible,
he said; 81 think your idea is an exec
lent one.'
Holmes put the slip Of paper CAREFUL
away in into his his poek sa1 h. t real
would be a good thing that we Shout
: all 90 over the house together and max
certain that this rather cratic burgla
did not, after all, carry anything ava
, with him. ~
} Before entering, III dimes made an e,
) animation Of the door which had bee
| forced It was evident that a chls
, or strong knife had been thrust in, an
the lock forced back with it. We coul
see the marks in the wood where it ha
] been pushed in.
| HYou don't use bars, then9" /
asked.
GIVE have never found it necessary.
"You don It keep dog2'
eyes, but he is.chained on the otht
side Of the house.
"When do the servants go to beds
So understand that William was u
ually in bed also at that hour?'
: eyes,
cit is singular that on this particuls
night he should have been up. Now,
j should be very glad if you would hay
! the Kindness to show us over the hous
Mr.. Cunningham. =
' A stone tagged gpassage, with tt
. kitchen branching away from it, le
! by. wooden staircase directly to tt
! first floor Of the house. It came o,
E upon the landing gopposite to a secon
: more ornamental stair which came I
. frnm the front hall: Out Of this Ian.