Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-09-17

l should not be very much surprised II this
were he whose step hear now upon the
stair l think, Watson. that II would be
as well for you to have your pistol ready
The words we're hardly out Of his mouth
before a man appeared at the door Of the
room very fat and burly man, with a
heavy stick in his hand. Miss Hunter
screamed and shrunk against the wall at the
sight Of him. but Sherlock Holmes sprang
forward and confronted him.
You villian! said he, where's your
daughter"
The fat man cast his eyes round, and
then up at the open slSylight
1T is for me to ask you that" he
shrieked you thieves! Spies and thieves!
l have caught you, have caught you, have
I? You are in my power. I'll serve your
He turned and clattered down the stairs
as hard as he could go.
Hes gone for the dog cried Miss
Hunter
II have my revolver" said I.
Better close the front door" cried
Holmes, and we all rushed down the stairs
together. We had hardly reached the hall
when we heard the baying Of hound and
then a scream of agony, with a horrible
worrying sound which 1t was dreadful to
listen to. An elderly man with red face
and shaking limbs came staggering out at
a side door
my Godv' he cried. Some one has
loosed the dog. It's not been fed for two
days. Quick, quick, or it'll be too Later
Holmes and I rushed out and round the
angle of the house, with Toller hurryins
behind us There was the huge fanlished
brute, its black muzzel buried in Rucastle'
throat, while he writhed and screamed
upon the ground. Running up, blew its
brains out and II fell over with It's keen
white teeth still meeting in the great
creases of his neck With much labor we
separated them, and carried him, living
but horribly mangled into the house. We
laid him upon the drawing-room sofa, and
having dispatched the sobered Toller to
bear the news to his wife, I did what
could to relieve his pain. We were all as
sembled round him when the door opened
and a tall, gaunt woman entered the room.
Mrs Toller!" cried Miss Hunter.
Eyes. miss, Mr.. Rucastle let me out when
he came back before he went UP to you.
All, miss 1t is a pity you didn't let me
know what you were planning, for would
have told you that your pains were
wasted"
Hal said Holmes, looking keenly at
her. at is clear that Mrs. Toller knows
more about this matter than any one else"
Eyes, sir, do. and I am ready enough
to tell what know"
Then pray sit down and let us hear it,
for there are several points on which j
must confess that am still in the dark"
IT will soon make II clear to you" said
she; land I'd have done so before now II
could ha got out from the cellar. If there s
police court business over this, you'll re-
member that I was the one that stood
your friend and that 1 was Miss Alice's
friend, too.
"She was never happy at home, Miss
Alice wasn't from the time that her father
married again. She was sighted like, and
had no say in anything, but 1t never really
became bad for her until after she met
Mr.. Fowler at a friends house, AS we'll
as I could learn Miss Alice had rights of
her own by will, but she was so quiet and
patient, she was, that she never said a
word about them, but Just left everything
in Mr.. Rucastle's hands. He knew he was
safe with her; but when there was a chance
of a husband coming forward, who would
ask for all that the law would give him,
then her father thought it time to put a
stop on 1t. He wanted her to sign a paper,
so that whether she married or not, he
could use her money. When she wouldn't
do It he kept on worrying her until she
got brain fever, and for six weeks was at
deaths door. Then she got better at last,
all worn to shadow and with her beau
tiful hair cut OF; but that didn't make no
change in her young man and he stuck to
her as true as man could be-"
"Ah," said Holmes, II think that what
you have been good enough to tell us
makes the matter fairly clear and that /
ATr 10
then, l presume took to this system OF
Imprisonment"
YES. str"
"And brought Miss Hunter down from
London in order to get rid of the disagree
able persistence of Mr.. Fowler"
That was 1t, sir"
But Mr.. Fowler being a perseverlne
man, as a good seaman should be. block
AIDED the house, and, having met you, sue
ceeded by certain arguments, metallic OF
otherwise, in convincing you that your In
terests were the same as his"
mr.. Fowler was a very kind-spoken
ee-handed gentleman" said Mrs. Teller
serenely.
"And in this way he managed that your
good man should have no want OF drink
and that a ladder should be ready at the
moment when your master had gone out
You have it. sir just as it happened"
II am sure we owe you an apology, Mrs
Toller," said Holmes, for you have Ger.
tainly cleared up everything which puzzled
us. And here comes the country surgeon
and Mrs. Rucastle, so 1 think, Watson
that we had best escort Miss Hunter bach
to Winchester, as 1t seems to me thai
our locus standi now is rather a question
able one.
And thus was seolved the mystery of the
sinister house with the copper beeches II
front OF the door. Mr.. Rucastie survived
but was always a broken man, kept alive
solely through the care OF his devoted
wife. They stil live with their old serv
ants, who probably know so much of Ru,
castles past life that he finds It difflcult
TO part from them. Mr.. Fowler and Miss
Rucastle were married by special license
In Southampton the day after their flight
and he is now the holder OF a government
appointment in the island OF MRurttius
AS to Miss Violet Hunter, my friend
Holmes, rather to my Disappointment, mani
Tested no further interest in her when
once she had ceased to be the center OF
one of his problems, and she Is now the
head OF a private school at Walsall, where
believe that she has met with consider
able success.
(rhe End.-CopyriRht by Harper & Bro)