Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-10-26

romorrow IS the EXAMINATION. mus
take some definite action tonight.
cannot allow the examination to be
held if n OF the papers has been tam
pered with. The situation must ht
faced"
You must leave it as it is. l shall
drop round early tomorrow morning
bic that l may be in a position theI
to indicate some course of action
Meanwhile, you change nothing-noth
ing at ALL"
Very good, Mr.. Holmes"
You can be perfectly easy in YOU,
mind. We shall certainly find som
way out Of your difficulties. viii
take the black clay with me; also thu
pencil cuttings. Goodby."
When we We're out in the darkness:
of the quadrangle we again looked III
at the windows. The Indian still pac
ed his The others were in
visible.
"Well. Watson, what do you thinl
Of it," Holmes asked as we came on
into the main street. Quite a littl'
parlor game-sort of three card trick
Is it not? There are your three men.
1t must be one of them. You take
your choice. Which is yours"
The foul mouthed fellow at the top.
He is the n with the worst record.
And Yet that Indian was 4 sly fellow
also. Why should he be pacing his
room all the time:"
There is nothing in that. Many men
do it when they are trying to learn
anything by heart"
He looked at US in a queer way"
80 would you if a flock of strangers
came in on you when you were pre-
pairing for an examination next day
and every moment was of value. No,
I see nothing in that. Pencils, too, and
knives-nll was satisfactory. But that
fellow does puzzle me-"
"Who?"
why, Bannister, the servant What's
his game in the matter:"
HE impressed me as being a perfect
~ honest man."
~ dC III LIS. 1UdlS luc puZLlluS
part. Why should a perfectly honest
maxwell, we'll, here's a large station
er's. We shall begin our researches
here"
There were only four stationers of
any consequence in the town, and at
each Holmes produced his pencil chips
and bid high for a duplicate. All were
agreed that n could be ordered, but
that 1t was not a usual size of pencil
and that it was seldom kept in stock.
My friend did not appear to be depress-
ed by his failure, but shrugged his
shoulders in half humorous resigna.
ton.
"No good, my dear Watson. This, the
best and only final clew, has run to
nothing. But, indeed, 1 have little
doubt that we can build up a sufficient
case without it. By Jove, my dear fell
low, it is nearly 9, and the landlady
babbled of green peas at 7:3O. What
with your eternal tobacco. Watson, and
your irregularity at meals, 1 expect
that you will get notice to quit and
that l shall share your downfall-not.
however. before we have solved the
problem of the nervous tutor, the care
less servant and the three enterprising
students"
Holmes made no further allusion to
the matter that day. though he sat lost
in thought for a long time after our be-
lated dinner. At s in the morning he
came into my room just as 1 finished
my toilet.
well, Watson" said he, "it is time
we went down to st. Luke's. Can you
do without b~reakfast?'
"Certainly."
"Soames will be in a dreadful fdget
until we are able to tell him something
positive"
"Hnve you anything positive to tell
him?'
II think So"
"You have formed a conclusion"
"Ies. my dear Watson; 1 have solved
the mystery"
But what fresh evidence could YOU
have got":'
"Aha. 1t is not for nothing that I
have turned myself ont of bed at the
untimely hour Of 6. have put in two