The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-06-02

"See here. mister" he cried. with &
CLEAN of suspicion in his eyes. you're
not trying to scare me over this. are
You? If the lady is hurt a bad as
You say, who We Il that WIS, tbs
no,c:" 4Ee tosSi it forward 8.. ID Tie
table.
Il wrote it IS bring vlu here"
"You v'.'a's IT, G.", w.s no one
on earth 2n,. The Joint who knew
the secret of the dancing men. How
caWc Ven 10 write it,
WHAT one man can invent snother
can discover" said H1hwes. There is
Il cab coming to convey YOU to Nor
witch, Nh. Sl8ney. But meanwhile you
have time - make some small reoaca-
ton for the injury You have wrought.
Are you aware that Ms. Hilton Cuhitt
has herself hin under grave snsniciou
of the murder Of her husband and that
it was only my presence here ana the
knowledge which | happened to pos
sess which has saved her from the ac-
cusation? The least that you owe her
is to make it clear to the whole world
that she was in no way, directly or
indirectly. responsible for his tragic
end"
Il ask nothing better" said the Amer
lean. y guess the very best case l
can make for myself is the absolute
naked truth"
1T is my duty To warn you that it
will he used against you" cried the
inspector, with the magnificent fair
play of the British criminal law.
Slaney shrugged his shoulders.
I'll chance that" said he First of
all, | want you gentlemen to under
stand that I have known this lady
since she was child. There were sew
en- Of us in gang in Chicago, and Ell
sizes father was the boss of the Joint.
He was Il clever man. was old Patrick.
1t was he who invented that writing,
which would pass as Il chld'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
business. 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 engaged to me, and she would
have married me. | believe, if | had
taken over another profession, but she
would have nothing to do with any
thing on the cross. 1t was only after
her marriage to this Englishman that
was able to find out where she was.
wrote to her, but got no answer After
that | came over, and, as letters were
no USE put my messages where she
could read them.
"Well, l have been here a month
now. | lived on that farm, where had
a room down below, and could get in
and out every night and no one the
wiser / tried all could to coax Elsie
away. | knew that she read the mes
sages. 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 letter then,
imploring me to go away, and saying
that it would break her heart if any
scandal should come upon her husband
She said that she would come down
when her husband was asleep at 8 in
the morning and speak with me
through the end window, if l 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. ana we were face to face | was
heeled also. and | held up my gun to
scare him off and let me get away. He
fired and missed me.N pulled off al
most at the same instant, and down he
dropped. l made away across the gar
den. and as | went heard the window
shut behind me. That's Gods truth,
gentlemen. every word of it: and
heard no more about it until that lad
came riding up with a note which made
me walk in here Ike jay and give
myself into your hands,
A cab had driven up while the Amer
lCdh lldI Deeu CdIklllS. Two uniformed
policemen sat insi-e Inspector Mar
tin rose and touched bis prisoner on tn
shoulder.
1T is time for us to CO.
Can see her frSt?"
NO, she is not conscious. Sherlock
Holmes only horc that If ever again
| have an important case I shall have
the good fortune to have you by my
side"
We stood ut the window and watched
the cab drive away. As turned back
my eye caught the pellet of paper
which the prisoner had tossed upon the
table. 1t was the note with which
Holmes had decoyed him
See if You can read it. Watson" said
he, with a smile.
1t contained no word. but this little
line Of dancing men:
XTSXTxrXxYT5Xx
IF YOU use the code which have ex-
planned" said Holmes, ''yoa will find