Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-29
IT trust your Judgment"

"A very sensible reply, watson You
must look at 1t this way: what 1 know is
unofficial, what he knows is official.
have the right to private judgment. but he
has none. He must disclose all. or he is
traitor to his service. In a doubtful case
would not put him In so painful a position,
and so l reserve my Information until my
own mind is clear upon the matter"
But when will that be?''
THE time has come You will now be
present at the last scene of q remarkable
little drama"
There was sound upon the stairs. and
our door was opened to admit as fine a
specimen of manhood as ever passed
through it. He was very tall young man.
golden-mustached blue-eyed. with skin
which had been burned by tropical
suns, and a springy step, which showed
that the huge frame was as active
as it was strong. He closed the door be-
hind him, and then he stood with clenched
hands and heaving breast, choking down
some overmastering emotion.
Sit down, Capt. Croker. You got my
telegram
Our visitor sank into an armchair and
looked from one to the other of us with
questioning eyes.
Il got your telegram. and l came at the
hour you said. / heard that you had been
down to the office. There was no getting
away from you. Let's hear the worst.
What are you going to do with me? Ar
rest me? Speak out, man. You can't sit
there and play with me like cat with
mouse"
Give him a cigar" said Holmes. bite
on that, Capt. Croker, and don't let your
nerves run away with you. l should not
sit here smoking with you if l thought that
you We're common criminal you may be
sure of that. Be frank with me and We
may do some good. Play tricks with me-
and III crush YOU
What do you wish me to do?"
To give me a true account of all that
happened al the Abbey Grange last night
a true account, mind you, with nothing
added and nothing taken off l know 50
much already that If you go one inch off
the straight I'll blow this police whistle
from my window and the affair goes out of
my hands forever"
The sailor thought for little. Then he
struck his leg with his great sun-burned
hand.
III chance it," he cried, 81 believe you
are man of your word, and a white man,
and I'll tell you the whole story. But one
thing [ will say first. So far as I am con-
cerned, regret nothing and 1 fear nothing,
and l would do it all again, and be proud of
the job. Damn the beast. if he had as
many lives as a cat he would owe them all
to mel But It's the lady, Mary-Mary
Fraser-for never will 1 call her by that
accursed name. When l think of getting
her into trouble, l who would give my life
just to bring one smile to her dear face,
it's that that turns my soul into water.
And yet-and yet-what less could 1 do?
I'll tell you my story, gentlemen, and then
I'll ask you, as man to man, what less could
I do?
Il must go back a bit You seem to
know everything, so l expect that you know
that l met her when she was a passenger
and l was first officer of the Rock of Gibral
tar From the first day l met her she was
the only woman to me. Every day of that
voyage 1 loved her more, and many time
since have / kneeled down in the darkness
of the night watch and kissed the deck of
that ship because 1 knew her dear feet had
trod 1t. She was never engaged to me. She
or ms a : airfI nypr an rpa f
ed man. l have no complaint to make.
1t was all love on my side and all good
comradeship and friendship on hers. When
we parted she was a free woman, but
could never again be free man.
Next time l came back from sea I heard
of her marriage. Well, why shouldn't she
marry whom she liked? Title and money
who could carry them better than she? She
dainty. l didn't grieve over her marriage.
| was not such a selfish hound as that. 1
Just rejoiced that good luck had come her
way, and that she had not thrown herself
away on q penniless sailor. That's how I
loved Mary Fraser.
We'll. l never thought to see her again,
but last voyage l was promoted, and the
new boat was not yet launched so I had
to wait for couple of months with my
people at Sydenham. One day out in a
country lane 1 met Theresa Wright her
old maid. She told me all about her. about
him, about everything
l tell you, gentlemen, 1t nearly drove me
mad This drunken hound, that he should
dare to raise his hand to her, whose boots
he was not worthy to licki I met Theresa
again. Then L met Mary herself-and met
her again. Then she would meet me no
more. But the other day 1 had a notice
that was to start on my voyage within a
week. and 1 determined that 1 would see
her once before left. Theresa was always
my friend, for she loved Mary and hated
this villain almost as much as l did. From
her learned the ways of the house. Mary
al 20 Gle 1i,,rr IL, t,tr F1
room downstairs. L crept round there last
night and scratched at the window. At
first she would not open to me- but in her
heart / know that now she loves me, and
she could not leave me in the frosty night.
She whispered to me to come round TO the
big front window, and l found it open he
fore me. so as to let me into the dining
room. Again | heard from her own lips
things that made my blood boil, and again
l cursed this brute, who mishandled the
woman / loved Well, gentlemen, [ was
standing with her just inside the window,
in all innocence as God Is my judge when
he rushed like a madman into the ROOM
called her the vilest name that a man
could use to woman, and welted her
across the face with the stick he had in his
hand. l had sprung for the poker, and it
was fair fight between us. See here. on
my arm, where his first blow fell. Then it
was my turn and | went through him as
If he had been a rotten pumpkin. Do yen
think | was sorry? Not L. 1t was MS life
or mine. but far more than that, 1t was ais
life or hers, for how could leave her IN
the power of this mailman? That was how
l killed him. Was / wrong? Well, then,
what would either of you gentlemen have
done If you had been in my position?
She had screamed when he struck her,
and that brought old Theresa down from
the room above. There was a bottle or
wine on the sideboard, and / opened II and
poured a little between Mary's lips, for she
was half dead with shock. Then L took
drop myself Theresa was as cool as ice,
and 1t was her plot as much as mine.
We must make 1t appear that burglars had
done the thing. Theresa kept on repeating
our story 10 her mistress while | swarm
ed up and cut the rope of the bell. Then
I dashed her In her chair, and frayed out
the end of the rope to make 1t look natural.
else they would wonder how in the world
a burglar could have got up there to cut
It. Then l gathered up a few plates and
pots of silver, to carry out the Idea of the
robbery and there 1 left them, with orders
to give the alarm when / had a quarter Of
an hours start. l dropped the silver into
the pond and made off for Sydenham. feel
ing that for once in my life I had done
real good nights work. And that's the
truth and the whole truth. Mr.. Holmes. IL
1t costs me my neck.
Holmes smoked for some time in silence.
Then he crossed the room, and shook our
visitor by the hand.
That's what l think" said he. II know
n W. iS ha har d