Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-17

''He has come back ana done t. tell
you that he Is clever and dangerous man.
should not be very much surprised IL this
were he whose step l hear now upon the
stair. think, Watson. that Il would be as
well for you TO have your pistol ready
The words were hardly out OF his mouth
before a man appeared at the sioar OF tha
room. a very fat and hurly 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 yillaini'' said he. where's year
daughter
The fat man cast his eyes round and then
up the open skylight
1T is for me 10 ask you thai" he sHiei..I.
''you thievesi Spies and thievesi | Fave
caught you. have caught you. have I? You
are tn my power I'll serve you no
turned ard clattered down the stairs az
hard as he could so.
Hes gene for the dog" cried Miss
Hunter.
Il have my revolver" said I.
Better close the trent door. cried
Holmes. and we all rushed down the Stars
together. We had hardly reached the AIII
when we heard the haying OF Il huand. AMI
then a scream OF agony. with Eorr!b.s
worrying sound which 1t dreadful 10
listen to- An elderly man with "A red faca
ana shaking limbs came staggering out st
My GGd," he cried Some ono "a
loosed the dog. It's not been fed for two
GAYS. Quick, quick. or i'm be too late
AAoAahtS anu L TNSneN out anu rEund f1a
angle or the house, with -Toller hurry shg
behind us. There the huge IA. saed
brute, his black muZzle buried IN Rucastle's
threat, while he writhed and screamed
upon the ground. Running mp, l blew lis
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
put horribly mangled. into the house. We
laid him upon the drawing room sofa and
having dispatched the sobered Teller -
Dear the news to his wife. ! did what L
could to relieve his pain. We were all as
sembled round him when the door opened
ana tail, gaunt woman entered the room.
Mrs. Tolleri" cried Miss Hunter
Yes. miss. MIR. Rucastle let me out when
he came back before he went up to YOU
All. miss, II is pity you didn't let mo
know what you were planning. for I would
nave told you that your pains were
Hat said Holmes looking keenly at her
II is clear that Mrs. Toller knows more
about this matter than any one else"
Yes sir. l do. and am ready enough to
tell what / know"
Then. pray sit down and let us hear It.
Tor there are several points on which 4
must confess that l am still in the dark"
VIII soon make ii clear to you" said
she; ana 10 have done SO before now II
could ha' got out from the cellar. II
there's police court business over this you'll
remember that i was the one that stood
your TREND. and that i was Miss Alice's
friend. too.
She was never happy at home. Miss
Alice wasn't. from the time that her faith
er married again. She was sighted like
and mad no say In anything; but 1t
really became bad for her until after she
met MIR. Fowler at friends house As well
as 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 everythinp
IN MT Rucastle's hands. He knew he was
safe with her. but when there was a chance
OF husband coming forward. who. would
ask for all that the law would give him
then her father thought IL time to nut n
stop on 1t. He wanted her to sign a paper
so that whether she married or not he
eouio use her money When she wouldn't
DO IL ne Kept on worrying her until she
got brain fever, and for six weeks was at
deaths door. Then she got better at last.
an worn to shadow. and with her beau
ti1ul hair cut on; but that didn't make no
change in her young man, and he stuck to
her as true as man could be-"
An. said Holmes. II think that what
you have been good enough to tell us
makes the matter fairly clear. and that I
can deduce all that remains Mr. RucastIe
then. / presume, took to this system of
imprisonment"
Yes, SIR"
And brought Miss Hunter down from
London in order to get rid of the disagree
able persistence of Mr.. Fowler"
That was Ii, SIR
But Mr. Fowler, being a persever,nr
man. as a good seaman should be blockad-
ed the house. and, having met you, sue
ceeded by certain arguments. metallic or
otherwise, in convincing you that your in
ferests were the same as his"
MT Fowler was a very kind-xpoken
free-handed gentleman" said Mrs TolIer.
serenely.
And In this way he managed that your
good man should have no want of drink
ana that a ladder should be ready at the
moment when your master had gone out
You have 1T. sir. just as 1t happened"
am sure we owe you apology Mrs
Toller," said Holmes. for you have GER
tainiy cleared Up everything which puzzled
us. And here comes the country ,surReon
and Mrs. Rucastle. so / think. Watson.
that we had best escort Miss Hunter back
to winchester. as II seems to me that our
locus standi now Is rather a questionable
one.
And thus was solved the mystery of the
sinister house with the copper beeches in
front of the door. Mr.. Rucastle survived.
out was always broken man, kept alive
solely through the care of his devoted
wife. They still live with their old servants
who probably know much OF Rucastle'a
past life that he finds II difficult to part
with them Mr.. Fowler and Miss Rucast,e
were married by special license in South
ampton the day after their flight, and he
Is now the holder of a government appoint
ment In the Island of Mauritius As to Miss
Violet Hunter, my friend Holmes rather
to my disappointment, manifested no fur
Their interest in her when once she had
ceased to be the center of one of his prob
lens. and she Is now the head OF a private
school at Walsall. where 1 believe that she
has met with considerable success
CThe End)