Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1905-09-15
66s Return 81 "a
J SHERLOCK 4K
HOLM ES
By A. CONAN DOYLE &A3zSS
I Author THE OF sherlock Holmea-
Hound Of heD ssks.vnle." rhe sim ILLUSTRATED
I'm Scarlet Etc. STEELE
found
: A. CONAN DOYLE,

&" Ete. by Z. D. STEELE
found"
"How do they account for it?"
"They shuftled and lied-said that
they found 1t on the moor on Tuesday
morning. They know where he is, the
rascals! Thank goodness, they are all
safe under lock and key. Either the
fear Of the law or the dukes purse
will certainly get out of them all that
they know"
$50 far so good" said Holmes when
the doctor had at last left the room.
ut at least bears out the theory that
1t is on the side of the Lower Gill moor
that we must hope for results. The DO
lice have really done nothing locally
rave the arrest of these gypsies. Look
here, Watson! There Is water course
across the moor. You see it marked
here in the map. In some parts it wild
ems into morass. This Is particularly
30 in the region between Holdernesse
Hall and the school. It Is vain to look
elsewhere for tracks In this dry wealth
er, and at that point there Is certainly
chance of some record being left. /
will call you early tomorrow morning,
and you and will try II we can throw
some little light upon the mystery"
The day was just breaking when I
woke to md the long, thin form Of
Holmes by my bedside. He was fully
dressed and had apparently already
been out.
II have done the lawn and the b.
cycle she'd" said he. II have also had
a ramble through the Ragged Shaw.
Now. Watson, there is cocoa ready In
the next room. must beg you to
hurry. for we have great day before
u.s."
His eyes shone, and bis cheek was
flushed with the exhilaratiou Of the
master workman who sees his work
lie ready before him. A very different
Holmes this active, alert man from the
interpretive and pallid dreamer Of
Baker street. I felt as I looked upon
that supple figure. alive with nervous
energy. that 1t was indeed a strenuous
Gay tnat aWalteQ US.
And yet 1t opened in the blackes. dis
appointment. With high hopes we
struck across the peag, russell moor,
intersected with a thousand sheep
paths. until we came to the broad,
light green belt which marked the
morass between US and Holdernesse.
Certainly II the lad had gone home
ward he must have passed this, and
he could not pass it without leaving his
traces. But no sign Of him or the
German could be seen. With dark-
ening face my friend strobe along the
margin. eagerly observant Of every
muddy stain upon the messy surface.
Sheep marks there were In profusion,
and at one place. some miles down,
cows had left their tracks. Nothing
more.
"Check number one" said Holmes,
looking gloomily over the rolling ex-
panse Of the moor. There is another
morass down yonder. and a narrow
neck between. Eellol Hellol Hello!
What have we hereT
We had come on small black ribbon
of pathway. In the middle Of 1t, clear
~ marked on the sodden soil, was the
track of bicycle.
"Hurrahr' I cried. 1--WE have it."
But Holmes was shaking bis head,
and his face was puzzled and expectant
rather than joyous.
"a bicycle, certainly, but not the BIZ
CYCLE" said he. II am familiar with
forty-two different Impressions left by
J, tires. This, as you perceive, is Dun.
lop with patch upon the outer cover
Heidegger's tires were Palmers, leav-
ing longitudinal stripes. Aveling, the
mathematical master, was sure upon
the point. Therefore it is not Heideg
| gers track"
"The boys, them?
Possibly, II we could prove bicy.
Gle to have been in his possession. But
this we have utterly failed to do. This
track, as you perceive, was made by q
rider who was going from the direction
Of the school,"
"Or toward it,"
mo. no, my dear Watson. The more
deeply sunk impression Is. Of course
), the hind wheel, upon which the weigh,
rests. You perceive several places
where It has passed across and obliter.
ated the more shallow mark Of the
front one. It was undoubtedly head
ing away from the school. It may O,
may not be connected with our In
curry, but we will follow it backward
before we 80 any farther"
We did 80, and at the end Of a few
hundred yards lost the tracks as VIZ
emerged from the Doggy portion Of the
moor. Following the path backward
we picked out another spot where 8
spring trickled across it. Here, once
again, was the mark Of the bicycle
though nearly obliterated by the hoofs
Of cows. After that there was no sign
but the path ran right on into Ragged
Shaw, the wood which backed on Il
the school. From this wood the cycle
must have emerged. Holmes sat dowr
on bowlder and rested his chin in hi!
hands. had smoked two cigarettes
before he moved.
aWell, WELL" said he at last "It II
/. Of course possible that a cunning mar
might change the tire of his bicycle IL
order to leave unfamiliar tracks.
criminal who was capable of such {
thought Is a man whom I should b.
proud to do business with. We vii
leave this question undecided and harl
back to our morass again, for we hav,
left good deal unexplored."
We continued. our systematic surve.