The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-27

rom the very neauS ol your pFoltSsiou Still. of course, if you would like to draw ou1 of the business, there is plenty of time to do so.'
 T thought of the fifty guineas, and of how very useful they would be to me Not at all said l. I shall be very happy te accommodate myself to your wishes. l should like, however. to understand a little more clearly what it is that you wish me to do
 Quite so. It is very natural that the pledge of secrecy which we have exacted from you should have reused your curl osity. l have no wish to commit you to anything without your having it all laid before you. I suppose that we are abso- lutely safe from eavesdroppers?
 " Entirely
 Then the matter stands thus. You are probably aware that fuller's earth Is a valuable product, and that 1t is only found in one or two places in England?'
 |" I have heard so
 " Some little time ago l bought small plaee-a very small place-wthn ten miles of Reading. l was fortunate enough to discover that there was a deposit of fuller's earth in one of my fields. On ex- amining 1t, however, I found that this de- posit was a very small one, and that 1t formed link between two very much larger ones upon the right and left both of .sem. 4owever, In the grounds of my neighbors. These good people were abso- lutely ignorant that their land contained that which was quite as valuable as a gold mine. Naturally. 1t was to my in- terest to buy their land before they oas- covered it's true value; but. unfortunately I had no capital by which I could do this. l took a few of my friends into the secret however. and they suggested that we should quietly and secretly work our own little deposit, and in this way we should earn the money which should en- able us to buy the neighboring fields This we have now been doing for some time, and in order to help us in our oper- ations we erected a hydraulic press. This press, as I have already explained, has got out of order and we wish your ad- vice upon the subject. We guard our se- cret very jealous1y, and If 1t once became known. that he had hydraulic engineers coming to our little house, 1t would soon rouse inquiry, and then, if the facts came out, 1t would be goodbye to any chance of getting these fields and carrying out our plans. That is why I have made you promise me that you will not tell a hu- man being that you are going to Eyford tonight. l hope that I make 1t all plain7 I quite follow you said I. The only point which I could not quite under stand, was what use you could make of a hydraulic press in excavating fuller's earth, which, as l understand, Is dug out like gravel from pit
 'Ahl' said he, carelessly, we have our own process We compress the earth Into bricks, so as to remove them with out revealing what they are. But that is mere detail. l have taken you fully in- to my confidence now, MT. Hatherley, and l have shown how l trust you He rose as he spoke. I shall expect you, then. at Eyford at 1115.'
 :" I shall certainly be there.'
 And not a word to a soul He looked at me with a last, long, questioning gaze, and then, pressing my hand in a cold, danl< grasp, he hurried from the room.
 Well, when I came to think it all over in cool blood I was very much astonished as you may both think, at this sudden commission, which had been in- trusted to me. On the one hand, of course. I was glad, for the fee was at least ten fold what 1 should have asked had 1 set a price upon my own services, and 1t was possible that this order might lead to other ones On the other hand, the face and manner of my patron had made an unpleasant impression upon me, and I could not think that his explanation of the fuller's earth was sufficient to explain the necessity for my coming at midnight, and his extreme anxiety lest should tell any one of my errand. However I threw Ill 1edlS to the WlnQS, ate a hearty sup per, drove to Paddington, and started off, having obeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding my tongue.
 "At Reading I had to change not only my carriage, but my station. However, I was in time for the last train to Fly ford, and I reached the little dim-lit sta ton after II o'clock. I was the only pas senger who got out there, and there was no one upon the platform save single sleepy porter with a lantern. As l pass ed through the wicket gate, however, found my acquaintance of the morning waiting in the shadow upon the other side. Without word he grasped my arm and hurried me Into carriage, the door of which was standing open He drew up the windows on either side, tap ped on the woodwork, and away we went as fast as the horse could go."
 "One horse?' fnterjeetod Holmes
 ''Yes, only one"
 "Did you observe the color?"
 .Yes, I saw it by the side-lights when I was stepping into the carriage. It was chestnut
 Tired looking or fresh?'
 "Oh. fresh and glossy"
 "Thank you. l am sorry to have inter- ruped you. Pray continue your most in- teresting statement"
 Away we went then, and we drove for at least an hour. Col Lysander Stark had said that 1t was only seven miles, but I should think. from the rate that we seemed to go, and from the time that we took that 1t must have been nearer twelve. He sat at my side in silence all the time, and I was aware, more than once when glanced in his direction, that he was looking at me with great inten- slty The country roads seem to be not very good in that part of the world for we lurched and jolted terribly. l tried to look out of the windows to see something of where we were, but they were made of frosted glass. and I could make out nothing save the occasional bright blur of passing light Now and then I haz- arded some remark to break the monot- ony of the journey, but the colonel an- swered only in moposyllables, and the conversation soon fagged. At last. how ever the pumping of the road was ex- changed for the crisp smoothness of grave1-drive. and the carriage came to a stand Col. Lysander Stark sprank out, and, as I followed after him, pulled me