The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-06-30


me. Mr. Holmes. II ever you
forward your full powers Inn
plorc you to do SO now, for aever IN
your life could You have CAGE which
is more worthy Of them.'
Sherlock Holmes had listened with
the utmost intentness 10 the statement
Of the unhappy schoolmaster. His
drawn brows aud the deep furrow be
tween them showed that he needed no
exhortation to concentrate all his at
tenuon upon a prohlepl which, apart
from the tremendous interests involved
must appeal so directly 10 bis love Of
the complex and the unusual He now
drew out his notebook and jotted
down one or two memoranda.
"You have been very remiss, IN not
coming to me sooner" said be severe.
". you start me on my investigation
with a very serious handicap II IS
inconceivable, FOR example. that this
ivy and this lawn would have yielded
nothing to an expert observer"
Il am not to blame, Mr.. Holmes. His
grace was extremely desirous to avoid
all public scandal He was afraid Of
his family unhappiness being dragged
before the world He has a deep hor-
ror OF anything OF the kind"
"But there has been some official In
/ vestigationf"
yes sir, ana It has proved most dis
/ appointing. An apparent clew was az
\ once obtained. since a boy and young
man were reported TO have been seen
leaving a neighborlng station by an
| early train. Only last night we had
news that the couple had been hunte5
I down in Liverpool. and they prove to
/ have no connection whatever with the
matter in hand Then II was that In
my despair and disappointment after a
sleepless night ! came straight TO you
by the early train
Il suppose the local investigation
was relaxed while this false clew was
being followed upf
1T was entirely dropped"
$50 that three days have been vast
ed. The affair has been most deplor-
ably handled"
'I feel it and admit it,"
"And yet the problem should be ca
pable Of ultimate solution. / shall be
very happy TO look into it, Have you
been able to trace any connection be-
tween the missing boy and this Ger
man masterW
"None at all"
"Was he in the masters classp
mo: he never exchanged a word
with him so far as l know"
THAT is certainly very singular. Had
the boy a bicyoleT
NO"
"was any other bicycle misslng2"
mo-
us that certain?'
"Quite"
well now, you do not mean TO seri-
ously suggest that this German rode
of upon a bicycle IN the dead OF the
night, bearing the boy in his arms"
Certainly not"
"Then what is the theory In your
mindf"
"The bicycle may have been blind
II may have been hidden somewhere
and the pair gone on on foot"
quite so, but it seems rather an alb
surd blind, does It not? Were there
other bicycles in this shedg'
Several"
Would he not have hidden a couple
had be desired to give the idea that
they bad gone or upon themT
Il suppose he would"
-ur course ne would. Inc Dnnt
theory wont do. But the incident Is al
admirable starting point for an In
vestigadou. After all, a bicycle IL no
an easy thing 70 conceal or 10 destroy
One other question. Did any one cal
to see the boy on the day before b
disappeared"
NO"
"Did be get any lettersr
Eyes, one letter"
"From whom"
From his father"
"Do you open the boys IettersT
mo"
"IIow do you know it was from th
fatherT
"The coat OF arms was on the e.
velope, and it was addressed in III
dukes peculiar stiff hand. Besides, th
duke remembers having written"
Wien had he letter before thotf
"Not for several days"
"Had be ever one from FranceP
"No, never"
"You see the point Of my questions
OF course. Either the boy was carrie
on by force or he went Of hls own IRE
will. In the latter case you would ~
pect that some prompting from outsid
, would be needed 10 make 50 young
lad do such thing II he has ha
: no visitors, that prompting must hav
] rrHfaras hnwaa fuu "a fin