Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-05-25

DeSI tuuL j SIIOulu TlSk tuc CiIuiUs ~
was not a pleasant business. Watson.
The fail roared beneath me. I am not
fanciful person, but I give you my
word thnt seemed 10 hear Moriarty's
voice screaming at me out of the abyss.
4 mistake would have been fatal.
More than once rs tufts Of grass came
out in my hand or my foot slipped In
the wet notchcs Of the rock I thought
that I was gone. But struggled up.
ward. and Mt last reached ledge
several feet deep and covered with
soft green moss. where I could lie I'M
seen in the most perfect comfort. There
was stretched when you. my dear
Watson, and all your following were
investigating in the most sympathetic
and inefficient manner the circum
stances Of my death.
AT last, when you had all formed
your inevitable and totally erroneous
conclusions. you departed for the hotel.
and I was left alone had imagined
that I had reached the end Of my nd
ventures, but a very unexpected occur
renee showed me that there were sur
prscs still in store for me. A huge
rock, falling from above. doomed past
mo, struck the path and bounded over
into the chasm. For an instant I
thought that it was nm accident, but a
moment later, looking up. saw
mans head against the darkening sky,
and another stone struck the very
ledge upon which I was stretched
within foot of my head. or course
the meaning Of this was obvious. Mo-
riarty had not been alone. A confedcr-
ate--and even that ono glance had told
me how dangerous II man that confed
crate was-had kept guard while the
professor had attacked me. From
distance, unseen by me. he had been a
witness of his friends death and OF
my escape. Tie had waited. and then,
making his way around to the top Of
the cliff, he had endeavored to succeed
where his comrnde had failed.
II did not take long to think about It.
Watson. Again saw that grim face
look over the cliff, and I knew that 1t
was the precursor OF another stone.
I scrambled down on to the path.
don't think could have done it in cold
blood. 1t was hundred times more
difficult than getting up. But | had no
time to think of the danger. for an.
other stone sang past me as hung by
my hands from tho edge Of the ledge.
Halfway down ! slipped; but, by the
blessing of God. l landed, torn and
bleeding. upon the path. took to my
heels. did ten miles over the noun
tains in the darkness, and week later
found myself in Florence. with the
certainty that no one in the world
knew what had become of me.
Il had only one confidant-my broth
or Mycroft. owe you many apologies,
my dear Watson, but it was all impor-
tant that it should be thought l was
dead, and it is quite certain that you
would not have written so convincing
an account Of my unhappy end had you
Several times during the last three
years l have taken up my pen to write
to you, but always l feared lest your
affectionate regard for me should tempt
you to some indiscretiOn which would
betray my secret. For that reason
turned away from you this evening
when you upset my books. for was in
danger at the time, and any show Of
surprise and emotion upon your part
might have drawn attention to my
identity and led to the most deplorable
and irreparable results. AS to Mycroft.
l had to confide in him in order to OBJ
tain the money which I needed. The
course of events in London did not run
80 we'll as l had hoped, for the trial Of
the Moriarty gang left two Of its most
dangerous members, my own most vim
dictivc enemies, at liberty. travelled
for two years in Tibet, therefore, and
amused myself by visiting Lassa and
spending some days with the head
lama. You may have read of the re-
markable explorations Of a Norwegian
named Sigerson, but l am sure that it
never occurred to you that you We're
receiving news of your friend then
passed through Persia. looked in Mt
Mecca and paid short but interesting
visit to the khalifa at Khartum. the re-
| SutS VI WHICH, nave northumberland
to the foreign Office. Returning to
France, / spent some months in a re.
search into the coal tar derivatives
which l conducted in n laboratory at
Montpelier, In the south Of France.
Having concluded this to my satisfac,
ton and learning that only one Of my
enemies was now left in London, l was
about to return when my movements
were fastened by the news of this very
remarkable Park lane mystery. which
not only appealed to me by it's own
merits, but which seemed to offer some
most peculiar personal opportunities
l came over ut once to London, called
in my own person at Baker street
threw Mrs. Hudson into violent hys
terics and found that Mycroft had pre-
served my rooms and my papers exact
~ as they had always been SO it was
my dear Watson, that at o'clock to-
day I found myself in my old arm
chair in my own old room and only
wishing that I could have seen my old
friend Watson in the other chair which
he has so often adorned"
Such was the remarkable narrative
10 which listened on that April even
ing, narrative which would have
been utterly incredible to me had it moi
been confirmed by the actual sight OF
the tall, spare figure and the keen. ca
| ,,ov f,no xr1,ich I hud magyar <ko,.,h< Or