The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-09-03

leads into the stable lane. His foot
marks had pressed right through the
snow, so long had he stood there. She
told him of the coronet. His wicked
lust for gold kindled at the news, and
he bent her to his will. / have no
doubt that she loved you, but there
are women in whom the love of
lover extinguishes all other loves, and
think that she must have been one.
She had hardly listened to his instruc-
tons when she saw you coming down.
stairs, on when she closed the window
rapidly and told you about one of the
servants escapade with her wooden
legged lover which was all perfectly
true.
Your boy, Arthur, went to bed af-
ter his interview with you, but he slept
badly on account OF his uneasiness
about his club debts. In the middle
Of the night he heard soft tread pass
his door, so he rose, and looking out
was surprised to see his cousin walk
ing very Stealthily along the passage
until she disappeared into your dress
ing-room. Petritied with establishment.
the lad slipped on some clothes, and
waited there in the dark to see what
would come Of this strange affair
Presently she emerged from the room
again, and in the light of the passage
lamp your son saw that she carried
the precious coronet in her hands. She
passed down the stairs, and he, thrill
ing with horror, ran along and slipped
behind the curtain near your door
whence he could see what passed in
the hall beneath. He saw her stealth
lily open the window, hand out the
coronet to some one in the gloom and
then closing it once more hurry back
to her room, passing quite close to
where he stood hid behind the cur
tain
"As long as she was on the scene he
could not take any action without
horrible exposure of the woman whom
he loved. But the instant that she
was gone he realized how crushing
misfortune this would be for you,
and how all-important it was to set
it right. He rushed down, just as he
was, in his bare feet opened the win
dow, Sprang out into the snow, and
ran down the, lane, where he could
see a dark figure in the moonlight. Sir
George Burnwell tried to get away, but
Arthur caught him, and there was
struggle between them, your lad tug
ging at one side of the coronet, and
his opponent at the other. In the
scuffle, your son struck Sir George,
and cut him over the eye. Then some
thing suddenly snapped, and your son,
finding that he had the cOrOnet in his
hands, rushed back closed the win
dow, assembled to your room, and had
just observed that the coronet had
been twisted in the struggle, and was
endeaVoring to Straighten 1T when you
appeared upon the scene"
rs it possible?" gasped the bank
err.
You then reused his anger by call
ing him names at q moment when he
felt that he had deserved your warm
est thanks. He could not explain the
true state of affairs without betraying
one who certainly deserved little
enough consideration at his hands. He
took the more chivalrous view, how
ever, and preserved her secret.
And that was why she shrieked and
tainted when she saw the coronet,"
cried Mr. Holder. ooh, my Godi what
a blind fool have been. And his ask
ing to be allowed to go out for five
minutes! The dear fellow wanted to
see if the missing piece were at the
scene of the struggle. How cruelty L
have misjudged him.
when l arrived at the house"
continued Holmes, 81 at once went
very carefully round it to observe If
there were any traces in the snow
which might help me. l knew that
none had fallen since the evening pc
fore and also that there had been
passed along the tradesmen's path, but
found it all trampled down and indis
tinguishable. Just beyond it, however,
at the far side of the kitchen door, a
woman had stood and talked with a
man, whose round impressions on one
side showed that he had a wooden
leg. 1 could even tell that they had
Zen disturbed, IOr the woman had
run back swiftly to the door, as was
nv ho
marks, while Wooden-leg had waited
q little, and then had gone away. /
thought at the time that this might
be the maid and her sweetheart, of
whom you had already spoken to me,
and inquiry showed it was so. passed
round the garden without seeing any
thing more than random tracks, which
1 took to be the police; but when
got into the stable lane very long
and complex story was written in the
snow in front of me-
There was a double line of tracks
of booted man, and a second douDle
line which / saw with delight belonged
to man with naked feet. ! was at
once convinced from what you had
told me that the latter was your son.
The first had walked both ways, but
the other had run swiftly, and as his
tread was marked in places over the
depression of the boot it was obvious
that he had passed after the other. l
followed them up, and found that they
led to the hall window, where Boots
had worn all the snow away while
waiting Then | walked to the other
end. which was a hundred yards or
more down the lane. | saw where
Boots had faced round, where the
snow was cut up as though there had
been struggle, and finally. where
a few drops of blood had fallen, to
show me that | was not mistaken.
Boots had then run down the lane,
and another little smudge of blood
showed that it was he who had been
hurt When he came to the high-road
at the other end, ] found that the
pavement had been cleared, so there
was an end to that cleW.
ION entering the house, however,
| examined, as you remember, the Sill
and framework of the hall window
with my lens, and | could at once
see that some one had passed out.
could distinguish the outline of an in
step where the foot had been
placed in coming in. l was then be-
ginning to be able to form an opinion
as to what had occurred. A man had
waited outside the window, some one
had brought the gems; the deed had
I1oon oNarCppn hV VOIIr son. he had