Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-05-17

have saved an innocent mans life. and
you have prevented very grave scan
daI. which would have ruined my repH-
tation in the force"
Holmes smiled and clapped Lestrade
upon the shoulder.
Instead of being ruined. my good
sir, Yen will find that your reputation
has been enormously enhanced. Just
make a few alterations in that report
which YOU We're writing and they will
understand how hard it is to throw
dust in the eyes OF Inspector Lestrade"
And you don't want your name TO
APPEAR"
Not at all The work is its own re-
ward. Perhaps l shall get the credit
also at some distant day. when l per-
NIT my Jealous historian to lay out his
foolscap once mOre-eh. Watson? Well.
now. let us see where this rat has been
lurking"
A lath and plaster partition had been
run across the passage six feet from
the end, with a door cunninsly conceal
ed in it, Ii was lit within by Sits I'M
der the caves. a few articles of furni-
ture and a supply of food and water
of books and papers.
There's the advantage OF being a
builder said Holmes as we came out
He was able to fix up his own little
hiding place without any confederate,
save, of course. that precious house
keeper Of his, whom / should lose no
time in adding to your bag, Lestrade."
III take your advice. But how did
you know of this place. Mr.. Holmes:'
Il made up my mind that the fellow
was in hiding in the house. When 1
paced one corridor and found IL six
feet shorter than the corresponding
one below it was pretty clear where
he was. thought he had not the nerve
to lie quiet before an alarm of fire. We
could. OF course, have gone in and TAX
en- him, but it amused me to make him
reveal himself. Besides, owed you a
little mystifcatiOn, Lestrade, for your
chaff in the morning"
well. sir. you certainly got equal
with me on that. But how in the world
did you know that he was in the house
at all?''
1.-The thumb mark, Lestrade. You
said it was final, and so it was in a
very SCllSt. kIl6h IL Hdu
not been there the day before. l pay
good deal of attention to matters OF
detail, as you may have observed, and
/ had examined the hall and was sure
that the wall was clear. Therefore 1t
had been put on during the night"
But how"
VERY simply. When those packets
were sealed up Jonas Oldacre got Nc
Farlane TO secure one of the seals by
putting his thumb upon the soft wax.
1t would be done so quickly and SO
naturally that l dare say the young
man himself has no recollection of it.
Very likely it just so happened, and
Oldacre had himself no notion of the
use he would put it TO. Brooding over
the case in that den of his. it suddenly
struck him what absolutely damninS
evidence he could make against Nc
Farlane by using that thumb mark,
1t was the simplest thing in the world
for him TO take II wax impression from
the seal, to moisten it in as much
blood as he could get from a pin prick
and to put the mark upon the wall dur
ing the night either with his own hand
or with that OF his housekeeper. II
you examine among those documents
which he took with him into his re-
treat l will lay you a wager that you
find the seal with the thumb mark
upon it"
"Wonderful"' said Lestrade. Won
derful. It's all as clear as crystal as
you put it. But what is the object Of
this deep deception. Mr.. Holmes?"
1t was amusing to me to see how the
detectives Overbearlng manner had
changed suddenly TO that OF a child
asking questions of its teacher.
well, I don't think that is very hard
to explain. A very deep. malicious.
vindictive person is the gentleman who
is now waiting us downstairs. You
know that he was once refused by Nc
Farlane's mother? You don't! 1 told
you that you should go to Blackheath
first and Norwood afterward. Well,
this injury, as he would consider il,
has ranked In his wicked, scheming
brain, and all his life he has longed for
vengeance, but never seen his chance.
During the last year or two things have
gone against him-secret speculation,
think-and he finds himself in a bad
way. He determines to swindle his
creditors, and for this purpose he pays
large checks to a certain Mr.. Cornelius,
who is, l imagine, himself under an
other name. | have not traced these
checks yet but / have ne doubt that
they were banked under that name at
some provincial town, where Oldacre
from time to time led a double exist
ence. He intended to change his name
altogether, draw his money and van
ish. starting life again elsewhere"
We'll that's likely enough
1T would strike him that in disap-
pearing he might throw all pursuit off
his track and at the same time have an
ample and crushing revenge upon his
old sweetheart if he could give the i'm
preston that he had been murdered by
her only child. 1t was a masterpiece OF
viIlainy, and he carried it out like a
master. The idea of the will. which
would give an obvious motive for the