Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-11-16
The Adventure of
the Golden
Pince .Nez
No. 10 of the Series


rcs2rt.:. ~. ;, 4 c:-ar 0:7le a.4 csri~'.
81 : L~re SAD Hol-.~s. aud To
p3.l-eI u L 1.gL bookcase IL the
corner II the room.
Is&w the Old ma. throw W Lis TN
Z terrible CONFUSION passed over his
grin tace. and he Eel. back il his
chair. Al the sale instant the book
case at which Holmes pointed swung
round upon i hinge aud q woman
rushed OUT INTO the room. You are
right" she cried il a strange foreign
voice. You are right, an here"
She was brown with the dust and
draped with the cobwebs. which had
come from the walls Of her hiding
place. Her face, 100, was streaked
with CRIME, and at the best she could
never have been handsome, for she had
the a physical characteristics
which HOLMES had OWNED. with, in
addition, z long and obstinate chin.
What with her natural blindness. and
what with dhe change from dark TO
Light, she stood as n dazed, blinking
about her TO see where and who we
were. And Yet, in spite Of all these
Disadvantages, there vas a certain no.
bility in the woman's bearing. q gal
iantry in the defiant chin and in the
appraised head, which compelled some
thing Of respect and admiration.
Stanley Hopkins had laid his hand
upon her arm and claimed her as his
prisoner, but she waved him aside
gently and yet with an commissioning
dignity which compelled obedience.
The old man lay back in his chair
with a twitching face and stared at
her with %brooding eyes.
Yes, sir, I am your prisoner" she
said. From where I stood / could hear
everything. and l know that YOU have
learned the truth. I confess it all. 1t
was | who killed the young man. But
you are r!ght-you who say it was an
accident. l did not ever know that it
was a knife which I held in my hand.
for IN my despair ] snatched anything
from the table and struck at him to
make him let me go. 1t is the truth
that ! tell"
Madam" said Holmes, Il am sure
that It is the truth. I fear that you are
far from we'll"
She had turned a dreadful color, the
more ghastly under the dark dust
streaks upon her face. She seated her
self u the side Of the bed: then she re-
sumed.
81 have only a little time here she
said. but I would have you to know
the whole truth. l am this mans wife.
he is not an Englishman. He is a Rus.
sian. His name | will not tell"
For the first time the old man stirred.
God bless you, Anna he cried. God
bless YOU"
She cast a look Of the deepest disdain
in his direction. Why should you cling
80 hard to that wretched life Of yours.
Sergius:" said she. 1T has done harm
to many and good to none, not even
yourself. However. it is not for me to
cause the frail thread to be snapped
before Gods time. have enough al
ready upon my soul since I crossed the
threshold Of this cursed house. But I
U speak or I shall be too late.
Il have said, gentlemen. that I am
this mans wife. He was fifty and I a
foolish girl of twenty when we mar
r1ed. It was in a city Of Russia. 4 uni
versity-l will not name the place"
God bless you. Anna" murmured
the old man again.
W were reformers, revolutionists.
nihilists. you understandable and I
and many more. Then there came q
time Of trouble. A police officer was
killed, many were arrested, evidence
was wanted, and in order to save his
own life and earn a great reward my
husband betrayed his own wife and his
companions. Yes, VIZ were all arrested
upon his confession. Some Of us found
u way to the gallows and some to 81
IBERIA. / was among these last. but my
term was not for life. Ny husband
came to England with his i'll gotten
gains and has lived in quiet ever since,
knowing well that if the Brotherhood
knew where he was not q week would
pass before justice would be done"
The old man reached out a trembling
hand and helped himself to a cigarette.
Il an in your hands, Anna" said he.
"You were always good to me"
II have not yet told you the height
Va mo NIi'HIHy az Sll'. .tJllCJS our
comrades Of the order there was one
who was the friend Of my heart. He
was noble, unselfsh, loving-all that
my husband was not. He hated VIC
lence. We were all guilty, if that is
guilt, but he was not. He wrote for
ever d~issuading us from such a course.
These letters would have saved him.
So would my diary, in which from day
to day ] had entered both my feelings
toward him and the view which csich
Of us had taken. My husband found
and kept both diary and letters. He
hid them, and he tried marc to swear
away the young mans life. In this he
failed, but Alexis was sent a convict
to Siberia, where now at this moment
he works in n salt mine. Think Of
that, you villain. you villain-now, now.
at this very moment; Alexis. Il man