Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-05-13

convenient front window. I had mag
ined YOU as operating from the street.
where nv friend Lestrade and his mer-
nv men were awaiting you. With that
| exception all has gone as expected.
Colonel Moran turned 10 the official
| detective.
You may or may not have just
cause for arreSting me-" said he, but
| at least there can be no reason why
| should submit to the gibes of this per-
son. II I am in the hands OF the law
| let things be done in a legal way"
well that's reasonable enough"
said Lestrade. Nothing further you
have to say, Mr.. Holmes, before we
go?"
Holmes had picked up the powerful
air gun from the floor and was examin-
ing its mechanism.
IAN admirable and unique weapon"
he said, ''noiseless and of tremendous
power. knew Won Herder. the blind
| German mechanic. who constructed it
| to the order of the late Professor Mo
riarty. For years l have been aware
of its existence, though 1 have never
before had the opportunity of handling
| it 1 commend il very specially to
your attention, Lestrade, and also the
| bullets which fit it,
You can trust us TO look after that.
Mr.. Holmes" said Lestrade as the
whole party moved toward the door
'Anythin further to say
"Only to ask what charge you in
tend to prefer"
;-g &C
the attempted murder of Mr.. Sherlock
Holmes"
mot so, Lestrade. l do not propose
to appear in the matter at all. To you
and TO you only belongs the credit of
the remarkab BILE arrest which you have
| effected. Yes, Lestrade, l congratulate
you! With your usual happy mixture
| of cunning and audacity, you have got
| him"
Got him. Got whom, Mr.. Holmes? 2"
THE man that the whole force has
been seeking in vain-ColOnel Sebas-
! tan Moran, who shot the Hon. Ronald
Adair with an expanding bullet from
an air gun through the open window of
the second floor front Of 427 Park lane
upon the goth of last month. That's
Iuc l@CSNI <AAA go
son, if you can endure the draft from
broken window | think that half an
hour in my study over a cigar may af-
ford you some profitable amusement
Our old chambers had been left I'M
| changed through the supervision of
| Mycroft Holmes and the immediate
care of Mrs Hudson. AS l entered l
saw, ii is true, an unwonted tidiness,
but the old landmarks were all in their
place. There was the chemical corner
and the acid stained, deal topped table.
| There upon a shelf was the row of
| formidable scrapboOks and books OF
| reference which many of our fellow cit
liens would have been so glad to burn.
| The diagrams, the violin case and the
pipe rack-even the Persian slipper
which contained the tobaccO-all met
nv eyes as l glanced round me. There
were two occupants of the roOm-one,
Mrs Hudson, who beamed upon us
both as we entered; the other the
strange dummy which had played so
| important a part in the evenings adj
ventures. 1t was a wax colored model
| OF my friend so admirably done that
| Ii was a perfect facsimile. 1t stood on
q small pedestal table with an old
dressing gown of Holmes so draped
round it that the illusion from the
street was absolutely perfect.
| Il hope you preserved all precautions,
| Mrs Hudson?" said Holmes.
81 went to it on my knees, sir, just
| as you told me-"
Excellent. You carried the thing
out well. Did you observe where the
| bullet went?"
Yes, sir. I'm afraid it has spOilt your
beautiful bust, for it passed right
through the head and fattened itself
on the wall. L picked it up from the
carpet. Here it isl
Holmes held il out to me. "A soft
revolver bullet, as you perceive, Wat
| son. There's genius in that, for who
would expect to find such thing fired
| from an air gun. All right, Mrs. Hud-
son; 1 am much obliged for your as
| sistance. And now, Watson, let me see
you in your old seat once more. for
| there are several points which l should
| like to discuss with you"
/ He had thrown off the seedy frock
coat, and now he was the Holmes Of
old in the mouse colored dressing gown
which he took from his effigy.
The old shikari's nerves have not
lost their steadiness nor his eyes their
keenness." said he, with laugh. as he
| inspected the shattered forehead of his
| bust.
Plumb in the middle of the back of
! the head and smack through the brain.
He was the best shot in India, and
expect that there are few better in
London. Have you heard the name?''
NO. | have not"
well. well. such is famei But. then.
if l remember right, you had not heard
the name Of Professor James MOriarty,
who had one of the great brains of the
century. Just give me down my index
Of biographies from the shelf"
He turned over the pages lazily, lean
| ing back in his chair and blowing great
clouds from his cigar
My collection Of Ms is a fine one"