The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-05-19

ldkluS every precduIlOn not TO snow
yourself, and then to look up at our
old rooms-the starting point of so
many Of your little fairy tales? We
Will see II my three years OF absence
have entirely taken away my power to
surprise you"
crept forward and looked across
at the familiar window AS my eyes
fell upon it gave a gasp and a cry
of amazement. The blind was down.
and a strong light was burning in the
room. The shadow of a man who was
seated in a chair within was thrown
in hard, black outline upon the lumi-
nous screen of the window. There was
no installing the poise of the head, the
squareness of the shoulders, the sharp
ness of the features. The face was
turned half around. and the effect was
that of one of those black silhouettes
which our grandparents loved to
frame. 1t was perfect reproduction
of Holmes. SO amazed was l that
threw out my hand to make sure tn t
the man himself was standing beside
me. He was quivering with silent
laughter.
"Well?" said he.
Good heavensr' I cried. at is mar
velOusr'
Il trust that age doth not wither nor
custom stale my infinite variety" said
he. And | recognized in his voice the
joy and pride which the artist takes in
his own creation. "It really is rather
like me, is it not?"
Il should be prepared to swear that
it was you"
The credit of the execution is due
to NJ. Oscar Mennier of Grenoble, who
spent some days in doing the molding.
1t is a bust in wax. The rest l ar
ranged myself during my visit to Ba-
ker-street this afternoon"
But why?"
Because, my dear Watson, had the
strongest possible reason for wishing
certain people to think that was there
when was really elsewhere"
"And you thought the rooms were
watched?"
II knew that they were watched"
"By whom?"
"By my old enemies, Watson. BY the
charming society whose leader lies in
the Reichenbach fall. You must re-
member that they knew, and only they
knew, that l was still alive Sooner o.
later they believed that l should come
back to my rooms. They watched them
continuously, and this morning they
saw me arrive"
"How do you know?"
|. Because | recognized their sentinel
when glanced out of my window. He
is harmless enough fellow, Parker by
name, a garroter by trade and re-
markable performer upon the jews
harp. l cared nothing for him. But
I cared great deal for the much more
formidable person who was behind him,
the bosom friend of Moriarty. the man
who dropped the rocks over the cliff,
the most cunning and dangerous crimi-
nal in London. That is the man who is
after me tonight, Watson. and that is
the man who is quite unaware that we
are after hiIn."
My frient'S plans We're gradually re-
vealinr themselves. F"o"l this conven-
ic41 re,telC he wa ,. we're beng
y loliad a.d IL 10 ke"s tracked.
.,ne2,
-, v.,.., ali, :t .. II
tace we 81 t... : *
| ness and wac !e. =. res
Who passed ana X. 81 ~ j.. .r5aj Of
us. Holmes was silent a4ld n.otlon.eSs,
but l could tell that lie was keenly
alert and that, his eyes were fixed in
tently upon the stream of passersby.
1t was bleak and boisterous night,
and the wind whiStled shrilly down the
long street. Many people were moving
to and fro, most of them muffled in their
coats and cravats. Once or twice ii
figure before, and l especially noticed
two men who appeared to be sheltering
themselves from the wind in the door.
! way Of a house some distance up the
street tried to draw my companions
attention to them, but he gave a little
ejaculation of Impotence and contin.
! ued to stare into the street. More than
once he fidgeted with his feet and
tapped rapidly with his fingers upon
the wall. 1t was evident to me that he
was becoming uneasy and that his
plans were not working out altogether
as he had hoped. At last as midnight
approached and the street gradually
cleared he paced up and down the
room in uncomfortable agitation.
was about to make some remark tC
him when raised my eyes to the light
ed window and again experienced al
most as great a surprise as before.
clutched Holmes arm and pointed up
ward.
1.-THE shadow has moved" l cried.
It was Indeed no longer the profile
but the back, which was turned TOWARD
u.s.
Three years had certainly not smooth
ed the asperites of his temper or his
Impotence with a less active intelli
gence than his own.
"Of course it has moved" said he
"Am / such a farcical bungler, Wat
son, that l should erect an obvious
dummy and expect that some of thu
sharpest men in Europe would be de
ceived by it? We have been in this
room two hours, and Mrs. Hudson has
made some change in that figure eigh
times, or once in every quarter of al
hour. She works it from the front