Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-25

Why should he come because you have
asked him? Would not such request
rather rouse his suspicious and cause MIN
TO hy?'
Il think 1 have known how to frame the
letter" said Sherlock Holmes. In fact, IL
am not very much mistaken. here is the
gentleman himself coming up the drive
A man was stridng up the path which
led to the door. He was tall, handsome,
swarthy fellow, clad in suit of gray fan
mel with Il Panama hat. bristling black
beard. and a great, aggressive hooked nose,
and fiourishing a cane as he walked. He
staggered up the path as If the place be-
lonSed to him, and we heard his loud, con-
fident peal at the bell
Il think, gentlemen. said Holmes,
quietly. that We had best take up our
position behind tie door. Every p:ecau-
fellow. You will need your handouts.
inspector. You can leave the talking to
ne"
We waited in silence for minute-one of
those minutes which one never forget.
Then the door opened and the man stepped
in In an instant Holmes clapped pistol
to his head. and Martin slipped the hand
GUNS over his wrists. 1t was all done so
swiftly and deity that the fellow was help
less before he knew that he was attacked.
He glared from one to the other of us with
pair of blazing black eyes. Then he
burst into a bitter laugh
we'll gentlemen you have the drop on
me this time l seem to have knocked up
against something hard. But 1 came here
In answer to a letter from Mrs. Hilton
Cubtt Don't tell me that she is in this?
Don tell me that she helped to set trap
for me?
Mrs. Hilton Cubitt was seriously injured,
and is at deaths door,
The mah gave hoarse cry of grief,
which rang through the horse.
You're crazy!" he cried fiercely. 1t
was he that was hurt. not she. Who would
have hurt little Elsie? l may have threat
ened her-God forgive me!-but / would not
hp6 hal of ar Il
Take it back-you! Say that she is not
hurt"
She was found. badly wounded, by the
side of her dead husband"
He sank with deep groan on to the
settee, and buried his face in his manacled
hands For five minutes he was silent.
Then he raised his face once more, and
spoke with the cold composlre of despair
nave nothing to hide from you gentle
men, said he. IF shot the man he had
ms shot at me, and there's no murder in
that. But If you think / could have hurt
that woman. then you don't know either me
CT he-- tell you. there was never a man in
thls world loved a woman more than I
loved her. l had right to her. She was
Pieoged TO me years ago Who was this
EngHshrlan that he should come between
US? tell you that had the first right to
hef and that l was only claiming my own"
sne broke away from your influence
s @Hdh a she found the man that you are"
america to avoid you, and she married an
honorable gentleman In England You
logged her and followed her and made her
me misery to her, in order to induce her
TO abandon the husband whom she loved
and respected in order to fly with YOU.
whom she feared and hated You have
ended by bringing about the death of a
noble man and driving his wife to suicide.
That is your record in this business, Mr.
Abe Slaney, and you will answer for it to
the law
If Elsie dies, 1 care nothing what be-
comes of me- said the American. He
opened one of his hands, and looked at
note crumpled up in his palm. See here
mister" he cried. with a CLEAN of sus-
picion in his eyes, you're not trying to
is hurt as bad as you say, who was it that
wrote this note?" He tossed it forward on
to the table.
Il wrote it. to bring you here"
You wrote it? There was no one on
earth outside the Joint who knew the secret
of the dancing men. How came you to
write it2"
What one man can invent another can
discover said Holmes There is a cab
coming to convey you to Norwich Mr.
Sianey. But, meanwhile, you have time to
make some small reparation for the injury
you have wrought Are you aware that
Mrs. Hilton Cubitt has herself lain under
grave suspicion of the murder of her hus-
band, and that it was only my presence
here, and the knowledge which happened
to possess. which has saved her from the
to make it clear to the whole world that
she in way, directly or indirectly,
responsible for his tragic end
Il ask nothing better said the Ameri-
can. Il guess the very best l can make
for myself is the absolute naked truth"
1T is my duty to warn you that it will
be used against YOU cried the inspector
with the magnificent fair play of the British
criminal law.
Slaney shrugged his shoulders.
''Ill chance that said he. First of ALL
l want you gentlemen to understand that 1
have known this lady since she was child
There were seven of us in gang in Chi
cago, and Elsie's father was the boss of
the Joint. He was clever man. was old
Patrick. 1t was he who invented that
writing which would pass as a child's
scrawl unless you just happened to have
the key to it. Well, Elsie learned some of
our ways, but she couldn't stand the bust
ness, and she had bit of honest money
of her own. SO she gave us all the slip and
got away to London. She had been en-
gagged to me, and she would have married
me, | believe, If / had taken over another
profession, but she would have nothing to
do with anything on the cross. 1t was only
after her marriage to this Englshman that
l was able to find out where she was. 1
wrote to her, but got no answer. After
that / came over. and, as letters We're or
no use, ! put my messages where she could
read them.
We'll, l have been here month now.
1 lived in that farm, where had a
room down below, ana could get III
and out every night, and no one the
wiser l tried all / could to coax Elsie
away l knew that she read the messages.
for once she wrote an answer under one OF
them Then my temper got the better of
me. and began to threaten her. She sent
me a letter then, imploring me to go away,
and saying that 1t would break her heart II
any scandal should come upon her husband.
She said that she would come down when
her husband was asleep al three in the
morning and speak with me through the
end window, if / would go away afterward
and leave her in peace. She came down and
brought money with her, trying to bride me
to go. This made me mad. and l caught
her arm and tried to pull her through the
window AT that moment in rushed the
husband with his revolver in his hand.
Elsie had sunk down upon the floor, and we
were face to face. | was heeled also, and l
held up my gun to. scare him off and let me
get away. He fired and missed me. l pulled
off almost at the same instant, and down he
dropped. ] made away across the garden,
and as l went l heard the window shut be-
hind me- That's Gods TRUTH gentlemen,
every word of it; and l heard no more
about 1t until that lad came riding up with
a note which made me walk in here, like a
lay, and give myself into your hands"
a cab had driven IN while the American
had been talking. Two uniformed police
men sat inside. Inspector Martin rose and
touched his prisoner on the shoulder.